Legendary quarterback Tom Brady has labelled the decision not to vote Bill Belichick into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility as "completely ridiculous".
Brady and Belichick won an astonishing six Super Bowls as quarterback and head coach of the New England Patriots
Citing four unidentified sources, it was reported on Tuesday that Belichick - who also won two more Super Bowls as an assistant coach - did not receive the necessary 40 votes from the 50-person panel of media members and other Hall of Famers.
It is said Belichick received a call from the Hall of Fame last Friday with the news.
The Hall of Fame declined to comment before its class of 2026 is announced at NFL Honors in San Francisco on February 5.
The report of Belichick's snub was met with significant criticism, including from Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, who posted on social media: "Insane … don't even understand how this could be possible."
Three-time NFL MVP Brady, who was Belichick's quarterback in New England, labelled the decision "completely ridiculous". Speaking to Seattle Sports 710 AM, he added: "If he's not a first-ballot Hall of Famer, there's really no coach that should ever be a first-ballot Hall of Famer, which is completely ridiculous because people deserve it.
"He's incredible. There's no coach I'd rather play for. If I'm picking one coach to go out there to win a Super Bowl - give me one season - I'm taking Bill Belichick."
Patriots owner Robert Kraft said: "Whatever perceptions may exist about any personal differences between Bill and me, I strongly believe Bill Belichick's record and body of work speak for themselves. He is the greatest coach of all time and he unequivocally deserves to be a unanimous first-ballot Pro Football Hall of Famer."
Belichick was hired by New England in 2000 and led the franchise to six Super Bowl wins and three other appearances in the title game during an 18-year span from 2001-2018.
Belichick's 333 wins in the regular season and playoffs with New England and Cleveland are the second most to Don Shula's 347. He won AP NFL Coach of the Year three times.
Belichick also was one of the game's top defensive assistants before taking over in New England, winning two earlier Super Bowls as defensive coordinator for the New York Giants.
Belichick's career did have blemishes. He was implicated in a sign-stealing scandal dubbed "Spygate" in the 2007 season and was fined $500,000 after the team was caught filming defensive signals from the New York Jets during a game.
