Whether you believe Bill Belichick deserves credit for the Patriots dynasty with Tom Brady or not, the fact of the matter is he's one of the most accomplished coaches of all-time and yet was snubbed from the Pro Football Hall of Fame on the first ballot. While he's expected to get in next year after that gaffe, the Hall of Fame may also prevent future errors from taking place.
According to ProFootballTalk's Mike Florio, the Hall of Fame board of directors are considered "likely" to review potential changes to its protocol for voting in new members.
"Per a source with knowledge of the situation, the Hall of Fame’s board of directors holds its annual meeting during enshrinement weekend — and it’s 'likely' that the board will consider potential changes to the current protocol at that time," Florio wrote.
Process and Changes
The current protocol for Hall of Fame induction features the Coach Blue Ribbon Committee, the Contributor Blue Ribbon Committee, and the Seniors Blue Ribbon Committee all placed into one pool of candidates for election. Only three total nominees from the pool can be voted on.
To get elected, a candidate must appear on 80-percent of the 50 votes cast (at least 40 in this case). This year, only Roger Craig managed to get through from a list that featured him, Belichick, Robert Kraft, Ken Anderson and L.C. Greenwood.
When Belichick didn't get through, it was seen as an utter failure by the Hall of Fame and a total tarnishing of their reputation.
Something has to - and at this point probably will - be done to prevent future incidents like this.
© Matthew Emmons-Imagn Images
Belichick isn't everyone's cup of tea and a look at his career before and after joining forces with Tom Brady has largely showed him to be an average coach. But the simple fact is that no coach so thoroughly dominated his peers for the better part of two decades the way that Belichick did and every metric shows it - including the one that nearly everyone agrees is the most important of all: Super Bowl rings. Belichick has eight - the most by any individual ever.
The math is simple and his future induction process should be too.
