Mahomes, LeBron, and the sports world react to Bill Belichick Hall of Fame snub: “Egregious!”

The controversy erupted – and not without reason. On Tuesday afternoon, Canton, Ohio once again opened the voting process to select the newest members of the Pro Football Hall of Fame. As expected, the spotlight was firmly on Bill Belichick, who, following his departure from New England, was eligible for induction for the first time. Surprisingly, the votes were not enough.

Yes, really. Despite being widely regarded as the greatest head coach in the history of the sport, “the Monk” failed to secure the required 40 votes out of 50 to enter such an exclusive group – a decision that stunned American football fans and did not go unnoticed by many of the game’s leading figures. These were some of the reactions sparked by his rejection.

Patrick Mahomes

“Insane… don’t even understand how this could be possible"

LeBron James

“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!”

JJ Watt

“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.”

Robert Griffin III

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

Dez Bryant

“Whoever is holding the authority has got a personal problem with him..because there ain’t no way Coach Belichick is not a first ballot Hall of Famer…”

Jimmy Johnson

“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..”

Julian Edelman

“SMH,” shorthand for shaking my head, expressing clear disapproval.

Brian Hoyer

“Personal vendettas shouldn’t stand in the way of the greatest coach of all time being a first ballot Hall of Famer. Shame on the people who didn’t vote for him for not taking the emotion out of it. One of the coolest moments of my career was visiting the HOF as a team in 2019 training camp and seeing how much respect Bill had for that place and the history of our sport.”

Cam Jordan

“Sometimes I scratch my head when a candidate gets in the HOF, this time I’m scratching my head on how an HOF candidate didn get in…”

The most notable silence belongs to Tom Brady. The quarterback has not commented, while a former rival such as Mahomes did. Past differences are understandable – but not to the point of this silence.

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