North Carolina's Belichick Denied Entry into Pro Football Hall of Fame

North Carolina Tar Heels head coach Bill Belichick is in the headlines this week for his denial into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Prior to joining the Tar Heels before the 2025 season, Belichick built up quite the resume over a historic multi-decade coaching career in the NFL. He is most known for his tenure as head coach of the New England Patriots from 2000-2023.

In that span, Belichick won six Super Bowl titles, and was named Coach of the Year three times. Belichick’s 333 wins as a head coach are also the second-most all-time behind Don Shula’s 347.

New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick quarterback Tom Brady talk with owner Martha Firestone Ford after the joint practice with the Detroit Lions Monday, August 5, 2019 at the practice facility, in Allen Park Mich. | Kirthmon F. Dozier / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Inexplicable denial

A resume as storied as Belichick’s should be an easy bet to make the Pro Football Hall of Fame on the first try, however Belichick was denied entry into the Hall of Fame in his first year on the ballot, as he failed to reach the 40 out of 50 votes benchmark needed to qualify.

The stunning result left the current head man of the Tar Heels confused, asking “Six Super Bowls isn’t enough?,” per ESPN. As a result, many are believing that some of the voters took a personal jab at Belichick due to his questionable controversies while with the Patriots.

Per ESPN, two incidents popped up in particular, Spygate, a 2007 controversy in which Belichick and the Patriots were accused of videotaping opposing team’s signals in unauthorized areas, and Deflategate, a 2015 controversy in which Belichick’s Patriots were accused of using deflated footballs during the AFC Championship game against the Indianapolis Colts. The Patriots would go on to blow out the Colts, and eventually win the Super Bowl over the Seattle Seahawks.

SUPERBOWL SUNDAY in New Orleans, LA. The New England Patriots vs the St. Louis Rams --Coach Bill Belichick talks with Terry Bradshaw as Tom Brady hugs Bob Kraft. | photo by Bob Breidenbach / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

How could this happen?

According to the report, former Colts executive Bill Polian, who is amongst the voters for the Hall of Fame, told some voters that Belichick should “wait a year” as a punishment of sorts for his actions. It hasn’t been verified if this is the exact reason for Belichick’s snubbing.

All of this comes as Belichick looks to turn around the football program at North Carolina. The Tar Heels managed just a 4-8 record in year 1, with plenty of distractions regarding Belichick’s job stability throughout the season. Now, heading into year 2, even more controversy surrounds the historic head football coach.

Nov 29, 2025; Raleigh, North Carolina, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels head coach Bill Belichick addresses the media after the second half of the game against NC State Wolfpack at Carter-Finley Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jaylynn Nash-Imagn Images | Jaylynn Nash-Imagn Images

Distractions aside, Belichick has spent the majority of his winter rebuilding a roster at UNC that has experienced significant overhaul thanks to the transfer portal. He and the Tar Heels will look to get back to their winning ways in 2026 as Belichick now has a taste of college athletics under his belt.

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