On Wednesday, the Pro Football Hall of Fame announced that both Bill Belichick and Robert Kraft were finalists for their Class of 2026 - Kraft as the “contributor” nominee and Belichick as the coach nominee. They will join senior finalists Ken Anderson, Roger Craig and LC Greenwood as those who will be voted on by the PFHOF selection committee for potential induction.
If both Patriots legends receive at least 80% approval from the full selection committee at their annual meeting early next year, they will join next year’s Canton, OH induction class - unveiled during Super Bowl week every year as a part of the NFL Honors awards show.
Conventional wisdom around Belichick’s candidacy for football’s most exclusive fraternity is simple: six super bowls as head coach of the Patriots, while amassing 333 career wins across regular season and postseason play - good for second all-time behind Hall of Fame head coach Don Shula.
Put him in as soon as he’s eligible, and his longtime quarterback will join him in the not-too-distant future.
But on Wednesday’s edition of WEEI Afternoons, three-time Super Bowl champion Ted Johnson explained why he feels his former head coach should have to wait at least one cycle before receiving his bronze bust.
“I would say Belichick, by far, is the most responsible for the cheating scandals,” said Johnson, who played linebacker for Belichick from 2000 to 2004.
“I don't remember Bill coming around to us saying, ‘Hey, I'm going to spy on this team. I just want you guys to know. Don't say anything to anybody if they ask you. But we're going to be doing some stuff behind the scenes that you might get questioned [about] later on. So just make sure when they question your Super Bowls later, you just tell them that you had no knowledge of the cheating scandal.’ And also, the cheating was - they knew the rules, right? Belichick knew the rules, and he still cheated anyway.
“I don't know if a coach has had more success than Bill when it comes to championships, but also more negative kind of stories that he's brought upon himself. And so to say that he deserves to go into the Hall of Fame first ballot, when you consider all of those scandals that he's been a part of, I don't agree with [that]. I don't. And so I just wanted to clear up some things. We can talk this out. We can flesh this out a little bit more, because I think y'all are both crazy.”
That last part is in reference to Johnson’s cohosts Andy Hart and Nick “Fitzy” Stevens, who believe both Belichick and Kraft deserve first ballot induction into Canton next summer.
“I just want to clarify - so you do not believe Bill Belichick is a first ballot Hall of Famer?” Hart asked Johnson.
“I do not, are you out of your mind?” Johnson responded.
“Is he a Hall of Famer?” Hart followed-up.
“Yeah, of course,” said Johnson.
“So at some point in the next [few years], just not that honor of first ballot?” Hart followed-up again.
“Not on the first ballot, no.” said Johnson. “Not with the - was he convicted of cheating? And after that, did he decide to cheat again? So a guy that said ‘eh’ to your rules did it again, and then he did it again with the Bengals [in 2019], did he not?”
Johnson’s cohosts clarified that the latter incident Johnson was referring to was later proven to be a Kraft Sports Productions crew that was filming during a game between the Browns and Bengals in Week 14 of that season, absolving Belichick of any further wrongdoing as it relates to illegaling filming.
With that said, Johnson continued making his point abundantly clear.
“Both of you think that Belichick should be a first ballot Hall of Famer, and I disagree,” said the 52-year-old. “I think the cheating scandal should be a penalty, to some degree, by keeping him out this first year. But he’s a Hall of Famer.
“People question my Super Bowls because I had a head coach that’s attached to cheating scandals. But put him in first ballot!” he said sarcastically.
“But you can’t take away the winning,” Hart pushed back. “Like, you still get credit. For whatever people question, you are still three-time Super Bowl champion Ted Johnson.”
“Winning with Tom Brady, no doubt,” Johnson responded quickly.
“But that’s the reality,” said Hart. “Bill Walsh won with Joe Montana. Like, the great coaches have great quarterbacks.”
Johnson didn’t want to hear it.
“So with Tom Brady and the cheating scandals, he doesn’t deserve to go in on the first ballot,” said Johnson.
Also a part of Wednesday’s discussion on this topic was Kraft’s candidacy for next year’s class. With the 84-year-old having been a candidate multiple times in recent years, Johnson believes 2026 should be the year Kraft enters Canton, despite pushing back on some of his bonafides:
- Places the bulk of the blame on Bill Parcells’ exit from New England after the 1996 season on Kraft
- Argues that the deal Kraft helped put in place with the NFLPA that ended the 2011 lockout was a “terrible deal for the players”
- Doesn’t believe the team was actually ever in danger of moving to St. Louis, MO or Hartford, CT
While Johnson is firmly in the minority on this opinion for his former head coach, his perspective is unique having spent four seasons playing for the greatest coach in Patriots history.
Johnson played his entire career in New England after being drafted in the second round of the 1995 NFL Draft out of Colorado. While a Patriot, Johnson played for Parcells (1995-96), Pete Carroll (1997-99) and Belichick (2000-04). He was a 1995 All-Rookie Team selection, and amassed 763 tackles over 10 seasons in the middle of the defense. In addition to his three Super Bowl rings, Johnson was a key member of the defense that helped the Patriots reach the Super Bowl in 1996, ultimately losing to the Packers 35-21 down in New Orleans.
With that resume in hand, Johnson was named to the Patriots’ All-1990s team as a part of the franchise’s 50th anniversary celebration in March of 2009.
Tune in each and every Monday throughout the football season to Patriots Monday on WEEI. Head coach Mike Vrabel joins The Greg Hill Show at 6:30 a.m. ET, and quarterback Drake Maye joins WEEI Afternoons.