Bill Belichick reportedly missing out on being first-ballot Hall of Famer draws swift backlash

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Bill Belichick, the six-time Super Bowl-winning head coach and two-time champion assistant, reportedly missed out on being a first-ballot Hall of Famer.

The finalized list of Pro Football Hall of Fame inductees will be released ahead of Super Bowl LX. Belichick was among the candidates in a separate group from the modern-era players category along with Ken Anderson, Roger Craig, L.C. Greenwood and Robert Kraft.

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New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick pre game against the Jets at MetLife Stadium on Oct. 21, 2019. (Robert Deutsch/USA TODAY Sports)

ESPN first reported that Belichick would not be going into the Hall of Fame this time around. The outlet reported, citing sources, that Belichick was "puzzled" and "disappointed" with the decision and that he wondered what more he had to do as a head coach to get in immediately.

"Politics kept him out. He doesn't believe this is a reflection on his accomplishments," another source told ESPN.

Former NFL players and fans were just as bewildered as the unnamed sources who talked to the outlet.

"I can’t be reading this right," former Houston Texans star J.J. Watt wrote on X. "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."

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New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick during the first half against the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field on Oct. 21,