SPORTS UPDATE
Bill Belichick and Robert Kraft received a strong endorsement for enshrinement into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. The endorsement came from Bill Parcells, a 2013 Hall of Fame inductee who worked with both men during his illustrious career. Belichick and Kraft are among the five coach, contributor and senior candidates who are finalists for induction in 2026. Each finalist will need 80% of the vote in order to receive induction.
“Most of these voting things have wound up political, but you can’t dispute what they’ve accomplished,” Parcells said. “When you’ve accomplished more than anybody else, it would be pretty ludicrous if it didn’t result in them getting in there.”
Belichick, 73, is a finalist for induction in his first year of eligibility. After spending 49 seasons in the NFL (including 29 as a head coach), Belichick just completed his first year as North Carolina’s coach. The Tar Heels went 4-8 this past season that included a 2-6 record in the ACC.
During his NFL career, Belichick won eight Super Bowls that included six as the New England Patriots‘ coach and two as Parcells’ defensive coordinator with the New York Giants. Belichick also worked on Parcells’ staff in New England (which included a trip to the Super Bowl in 1996) and with the New York Jets.
Belichick’s 31 postseason wins are the most in NFL history, while his 333 total wins are second to only Don Shula’s 347 wins. Belichick’s 302 regular season wins trails only Shula (328) and George Halas (318).
While his career is undoubtedly Hall of Fame worthy, Belichick’s role in Spygate could impact his Hall of Fame chances similarly to how they reportedly affected Kraft, who is still waiting for his enshrinement despite winning more Super Bowls than any other owner in NFL history.
“Some voters believe [Kraft] was part of the biggest cheating scandal in NFL history,” a veteran Hall of Fame voter told ESPNin 2024. “That’s a very tough one to overcome.”
Spygate aside, Belichick’s eventual enshrinement seems like a lock, given his and the Patriots’ remarkable success from 2001-18 that included six Super Bowl wins, nine AFC titles and 17 AFC East division.
Ironically, one of the obstacles standing in each person’s way is the other. Voters can only vote for three finalists, which means that there’s a very good chance that Belichick and Kraft could take votes away from each other. There’s also a three-person limit in terms of finalists that can be selected for enshrinement in 2026.
The other three finalists are former Bengals quarterback Ken Anderson, former Steelers pass rusher L.C. Greenwood and former running back Roger Craig.
Anderson’s résumé includes a league MVP award. Greenwood was a key member of Pittsburgh’s Steel Curtain defense that won four Super Bowls during the 1970s. Craig won three Super Bowls with the 49ers and was the first player in NFL history to record over 1,000 yards both rushing and receiving in the same season, doing so in 1985.
