In his first year of eligibility, former New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick reportedly fell short of the 40 out of 50 votes needed to be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
That means Belichick, who is arguably the greatest coach in NFL history, will not be a first ballot Hall of Famer. According to ESPN's Don Van Natta Jr. and Seth Wickersham, multiple sources described the legendary coach as "puzzled" and "disappointed" by the news.
One source in particular pointed to "politics" keeping Belichick out of the Hall of Fame.
"Politics kept him out. He doesn't believe this is a reflection on his accomplishments," the source said, via Van Natta and Wickersham.
It's hard to argue with that point considering Belichick would be on the Mount Rushmore of accomplished head coaches in the NFL. He is 333-178 all-time as an NFL head coach, including the playoffs. Only Don Shula (347) had more wins as a head coach in the league.
Belichick is also the architect of the greatest dynasty in NFL history with the Patriots that spanned nearly two decades of dominance. He has been widely viewed as a first ballot Hall of Fame lock for years.
But the voters obviously didn't see it that way.
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This article originally appeared on Patriots Wire: Bill Belichick reportedly snubbed as first-ballot Hall of Famer
