Certainly the head coach with the second-most wins in NFL history should be a first-ballot Hall of Famer, right? Add eight total Super Bowl rings, and that candidate becomes even more of a no-brainer, right? ...Right?!
Apparently not.
In one of the most shocking turns of events in Hall of Fame voting history -- there's been a controversy -- never has a consensus best-to-ever-do-it not make it due to a glorified popularity contest. Performance-enhancing drugs? Sure. Character concerns? Maybe. But that's it. Otherwise, what are we even doing here? You keep it simple, stupid. Why overcomplicate things for no reason?
When we let chaos take over, nobody wins. And that especially rang true for one Bill Belichick, whose first-ballot Hall of Fame candidacy came to an unceremonious end Tuesday evening, after it was reported he didn't receive the 80% threshold needed to be a first-ballot entrant. According to Don Van Natta Jr. and Seth Wickersham, sources familiar with the voting process revealed Belichick was "puzzled" and "disappointed" with the results.
Per ESPN, the 73-year-old had the same response as the rest of us, "What does a guy have to do?"
It was the snub heard around the world, but it could be just the beginning for Giants fans, who will now likely watch two-time Super Bowl-winning former HC Tom Coughlin share a similar fate.
Bill Belichick's unfathomable Hall of Fame snub spells doom for Giants' legendary HC Tom Coughlin
The résumé is absurd: eight Super Bowls (six as HC), three Coach of the Year awards, two All-Decade Team nods (2000s and 2010s), and even a PFWA Executive of the Year Award. No coach in NFL history has stacked accolades quite like him, making his omission feel... strictly personal.
So what does all of that mean for the guy who beat Mr. GOAT in the Super Bowl twice?
On first thought, you might think this helps Coughlin’s chances of making the Hall -- he’s one of 12 (now 11) coaches nominated for the 2026 class. But it actually hurts his chances.
Related: Tom Coughlin's Hall of Fame snub exposes NFL's blatant hypocrisy
The 79-year-old has a strong case. In 20 years coaching the Giants (12) and Jaguars (8), the Waterloo native finished his career with a 170–150 overall record, won two Super Bowls, and earned the United Press International (UPI) NFL Coach of the Year award in 1996. Not too shabby.
Unfortunately, the competition isn’t too shabby either. Of the remaining candidates, the committee is likely leaning in one of three directions: George Seifert (49ers), Mike Shanahan (Broncos), or Mike Holmgren (Packers and Seahawks).
Not only is Coughlin unlikely to get in as a first-ballot selection, but this also slows down his potential future enshrinement, since only one coach can be inducted per season. Way to go, Bill. You just had to piss everyone off with your smudgeness.
Now Coughlin’s stuck holding the door for a guy who all but slammed it on himself. Make it all make sense.