President Trump Criticizes Pro Football Hall Of Fame

President Trump blasted the Pro Football Hall of Fame for not inducting former New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick with the honor in his first year of eligibility.

“It is the same mindset that gave pro football the new and unwatchable ‘Sissy’ Kickoff Rule, that made it possible for Bill Belichick to not be elected into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Both are ridiculous and should be overturned!” Trump wrote on Truth Social.

Trump rages against NFL Hall of Fame voters after Bill Belichick falls short of enshrinement https://t.co/zXw4ufAIGR pic.twitter.com/e12vcr80OH

— New York Post (@nypost) January 28, 2026

ESPN broke the news that Belichick, who won six Super Bowls as the head coach of the New England Patriots and two Super Bowls as the defensive coordinator for the New York Giants, would not be a first-ballot Hall of Famer.

Bill Belichick, the 8-time Super Bowl-winning HC, is not a first-ballot Hall of Famer, per @SethWickersham and @DVNJr. Belichick fell short of the 40 out of 50 votes needed for induction to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility.https://t.co/ooJutI0C0Q

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) January 27, 2026

ESPN has more:

Belichick received a call from a Hall representative Friday afternoon with the news that he won’t be inducted in Canton, Ohio, this summer.

Several sources who spoke with the coach over the weekend described Belichick as “puzzled” and “disappointed” by his inability to secure support from at least 80% of Hall committee members.

“Six Super Bowls isn’t enough?” Belichick asked an associate, referring to the championships he won as head coach of the New England Patriots. He won two more as defensive coordinator of the New York Giants. To another associate, he said, “What does a guy have to do?”

Another source familiar with Belichick’s thinking said, “Politics kept him out. He doesn’t believe this is a reflection on his accomplishments.”

Much of the sports world agreed with Trump that Belichick was wrongly snubbed by the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

As a HOF coach I think Bill Belichick is the greatest of all time…yes he had a great QB but we all did..he won AFTER THE salary cap and free agency plus I Know how much he LOVES THE NFL and the game..I’m pissed.. https://t.co/1Pfd42a2rd

— Jimmy Johnson (@JimmyJohnson) January 28, 2026

I can’t be reading this right.

This has to be some knock-off Hall of Fame or something, it can’t be the actual NFL Hall of Fame.

There is not a single world whatsoever in which Bill Belichick should not be a First-Ballot Hall of Famer. https://t.co/OXhL1Sd4FM

— JJ Watt (@JJWatt) January 27, 2026

Man there’s no way I read that right! Right? Ain’t no WAY Bill Belichick ain’t 1st Ballot HOF!! That’s IMPOSSIBLE, EGREGIOUS, and quite frankly DISRESPECTFUL!

— LeBron James (@KingJames) January 28, 2026

If Bill Belichick isn’t a 1st Ballot NFL Hall of Famer, then NO ONE SHOULD BE.

— Robert Griffin III (@RGIII) January 27, 2026

Bill Belichick not being a first ballot Hall of Famer means that no coach should ever be. It means that the voters have decided there isn’t a coaching resume that warrants First Ballot consideration!

He is the GREATEST, most ACCOMPLISHED coach of all time! This is egregious!

— Ryan Clark (@Realrclark25) January 27, 2026

CBS News shared further:

The Pro Football Hall of Fame website lays out details about the committee that snubbed Belichick, including a list of names. For New England, former newspaper writer Ron Borges, now with the Talk of Fame Network, is a voter.

“The Committee consists of one media representative from each pro football city with two each from Los Angeles and New York, inasmuch as those cities have two teams in the National Football League. A 33rd member is a representative of the Pro Football Writers of America, and there are up to 17 at-large delegates,” the website reads.

The Hall of Fame does not release the specific results of who voted for each candidate. But many of the voters have already revealed that they voted for Belichick. Still, he fell at least 11 votes short.

One voter whose opinion has come into focus has been former Indianapolis Colts general manager and president Bill Polian, who was a longtime rival of the Patriots. According to ESPN, Polian told some voters that Belichick should be forced to wait a year to be inducted as punishment for the Spygate and Deflategate scandals.

Polian gave two seemingly conflicting interviews after the news broke Tuesday night. First, he told SI Now that it was “categorically untrue” that he led a charge against Belichick, adding that he voted for him. Later, Polian told ESPN he “could not remember with 100% certainty” if he voted for Belichick.

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Patriots owner Robert Kraft is a finalist for the Hall of Fame this year, along with former New England kicker Adam Vinatieri. The results are officially announced during the NFL Honors broadcast during Super Bowl week.