The news that former New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick did not make the Pro Football Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility has caused quite a massive storm within the sports community.
Ex-49ers tight end Brent Jones recently weighed in on Belichick’s Hall of Fame snub.
“I understand that he certainly might have angered some media members over the years,” Jones told Fox News Digital. “And I think to punish him for one year, unfortunately, I think puts a little stain on the Hall of Fame.
“[For] a guy that has eight Super Bowl rings, it doesn’t even sound real. I have three [Super Bowl wins] and I think that’s outrageous, and I can’t even imagine eight. He’s gonna get in, obviously.”
Belichick fell short of the 40 out of 50 votes needed for induction, ESPN’s Don Van Natta Jr. and Seth Wickersham reported Tuesday.
The two cheating scandals, Spygate and Deflategate, that surfaced during Belichick’s Patriots tenure reportedly came up during deliberations among the voters. But, it’s uncertain whether those incidents factored into the decision.
Belichick won a total of six Super Bowl titles as New England’s head coach and two as the defensive coordinator for the New York Giants.
Belichick also is the second-winningest coach in NFL history with 333 combined regular-season and playoff victories, behind only Hall of Fame coach Don Shula (347).
The full list of inductees heading to Canton, Ohio, will be revealed on Feb. 5 during the NFL Honors ceremony in San Francisco.
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