President Donald Trump has expressed his admiration for the New England Patriots dynasty in the past, so his take on Bill Belichick’s Pro Football Hall of Fame snub is no surprise.
In an interview with NBC News conducted Wednesday and aired on Super Bowl Sunday, the president complained about the longtime Patriots coach’s failure to make it to Canton in his first year of eligibility:
“I think it’s too bad. I mean, he’s won so much, won so many Super Bowls. Great coach. I think, for a while after that, he became a little bit controversial. He was just a great coach during that period. I think it was very inappropriate.
“Oh, yeah. Like what have you done for me lately? Well, you know, you’ve had a great career, and he’s been a little controversial for a year and a half, maybe two years. But — what’s the difference? No, he should be — he should be at the top.”
Trump is not the first to complain about the snub. He twice mentioned Belichick’s “controversial” behavior, which may be a reference to the Spygate and Deflategate cheating scandals that occurred under the coach’s watch. However, he mentioned the controversial years following Belichick’s NFL career, so he might just be referring to the 73-year-old Patriot’s post-UNC-Jordan Hudson era.
Donald Trump and Bill Belichick have some history together. (Photo by Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post via Getty Images)
(The Washington Post via Getty Images)
Regardless, Belichick’s snub isn’t just about controversy. As one of the few Belichick “no” voters pointed out, the question of voting for Belichick is more than just a “yes” or a “no.” To some, it’s “Belichick” or “a group of veteran players who may not be in the Hall of Fame again for years.”
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The Hall of Fame voting process sets the stage for the NFL’s all-time leading head coach in playoff wins to compete for a limited number of votes against three veteran players and one contributor (in this case, Patriots owner Robert Kraft).
The only one of those five to stand out this year is former San Francisco 49ers running back Roger Craig, who was recognized on the field in Super Bowl LX alongside modern-day inductees Drew Brees, Larry Fitzgerald, Luke Kuechly and Adam Vinatieri.
