Trump rips Pro Football Hall of Fame for 'ridiculous' decision to snub Bill Belichick from first-ballot honor

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President Donald Trump ripped the decision to keep Bill Belichick out of the Pro Football Hall of Fame on the first ballot on Wednesday.

Belichick didn’t get the 40 votes needed from the 50-person panel of media members and other Hall of Famers, ESPN reported, citing sources. The snub drew outrage from across the sports spectrum, including Patrick Mahomes, LeBron James, Jimmy Johnson and others.

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President Donald Trump arrives at a dedication ceremony for a portion of Southern Boulevard that the Town of Palm Beach Council recently voted to rename President Donald J. Trump Boulevard at his Mar-a-Lago Club in Palm Beach, Florida, Jan. 16, 2026. (Julia Demaree Nikhinson/AP Photo)

Trump added his voice to the chorus in a post on Truth Social, while also criticizing the NFL’s dynamic kickoff rules.

"It is the same mindset that gave pro football the new and unwatchable ‘Sissy’ Kickoff Rule, that made it possible for Bill Belichick to not be elected into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Both are ridiculous and should be overturned!" the president posted.

Trump has routinely criticized the NFL for its new kickoff rules, which were established ahead of the 2024 season and tweaked going into 2025.

Belichick was set to receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom during Trump’s first term. However, the former New England Patriots head coach turned it down after the Jan. 6 Capitol riots.

Bill Belichick of the New England Patriots before the game between the New England Patriots and the Cincinnati Bengals at Gillette Stadium on Dec. 24, 2022 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Winslow Townson/Getty Images)