Roger Goodell Addresses Bill Belichick's Reported Hall of Fame Snub, Praises Legendary HC

While former New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick reportedly won't be a first-ballot Hall of Famer this year, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell believes he will eventually be inducted in Canton.

Goodell told reporters Monday the NFL has nothing to do with the Hall of Fame voting before adding that, "Bill Belichick's record goes without saying. Same with Robert Kraft. They're spectacular, they contributed so much to this game and I believe they'll be Hall of Famers."

Last Monday, ESPN's Don Van Natta Jr. and Seth Wickersham reported Belichick fell short of the 40 of 50 votes needed to be inducted into the Hall of Fame.

It was a shocking development considering he is arguably the greatest coach in NFL history with a resume that includes six Lombardi Trophies from his time as the head coach of the Patriots in addition to two as a defensive coordinator for the New York Giants.

The report noted Belichick himself was "puzzled" and "disappointed" by his omission.

Such confusion makes sense, as Belichick's 333 regular season and playoff wins are second in NFL history behind Don Shula's 347. His nine conference championships as a head coach is also the most in the Super Bowl era.

Yet Van Natta and Wickersham reported the Spygate and Deflategate scandals were at least deliberated among voters. 

Then there is the voting process itself, which asks voters to choose from three of the five in a group of senior players, coaches and contributors. The three senior players this year were Ken Anderson, L.C. Greenwood and Roger Craig, while Belichick was the coach and Kraft was the contributor.

Vahe Gregorian of the Kansas City Star explained he "didn't vote against Belichick or Kraft" but instead "voted for three senior candidates: Ken Anderson, Roger Craig and L.C. Greenwood."

Goodell is right that Belichick will eventually be a Hall of Famer. But it's still stunning he wasn't a first-ballot selection.