Tom Brady has become the latest NFL figure to weigh in on Bill Belichick shockingly being passed over by the Pro Football Hall of Fame on his first ballot.
Unsurprisingly, Brady was just as baffled as everyone else at Belichick’s exclusion. In an appearance on “Brock & Salk” on KIRO 710 AM in Seattle, the former New England Patriots quarterback made it clear that Belichick was a no-doubt first ballot Hall-of-Famer, but pointed out that his former coach is a lock to get in eventually.
“I don’t understand it,” Brady said. “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 and win a Super Bowl, give me one season, I’m taking Bill Belichick. That’s enough said.
“When it comes down to votes and popularity and all that, welcome to the world of voting. You may as well go try out for the Oscars or whatever. Get a big panel to tell you whether you’re good or not. It’s the way it works. He’s going to get into the Hall of Fame. In the end, I’m not worried about that. A lot of times in life for all of us, things don’t happen exactly how you want them on your timeline, but we’ll all be there to celebrate him when it does happen.”
“I don't understand it …. 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.”@TomBrady on Bill Belichick’s HOF snub w/ @BrockHuard & @TheMikeSalk on Seattle Sports. ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/h2ZSpHhXmq
— Seattle Sports (@SeattleSports) January 28, 2026
Brady’s comments sum up how a lot of others feel about Belichick’s snub. The coach himself was said to be puzzled by the vote, and he definitely was not the only person who felt that way.
Brady and Belichick may not have parted on the best of terms, but the legendary quarterback has never hidden the coach’s importance to him and his career. They won six Super Bowls together and, as Brady alluded to, will both be in Canton eventually.
One report revealed one of the reasons Belichick was supposedly passed over in his first crack at induction.
