Bill Belichick does not appear to have the votes to get into the Pro Football Hall of Fame this year, according to a new ESPN report from Seth Wickersham and Don Van Natta Jr.
"In voting earlier this month, Belichick fell short of the 40 out of 50 votes needed for induction to the Pro Football Hall of Fame during his first year of eligibility, four sources with firsthand knowledge of the outcome told ESPN," the report reads. "Belichick received a call from a Hall representative last Friday afternoon with the news that he won't be inducted into the Hall in Canton, Ohio, this summer."
Belichick was a finalist alongside New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft. ESPN's report did not include any updates on Kraft's status, but shared that the so-called cheating scandals 'Spygate' and 'Deflategate' were topics among voters including - via one anonymous source of ESPN - former Buffalo Bills and Indianapolis Colts general manager Bill Polian:
"A voter who spoke on condition of anonymity said that Polian, an ardent Kraft supporter and former general manager of the Buffalo Bills and Indianapolis Colts -- a chief Patriots rival during their dynasty -- told some voters he believed Belichick should "wait a year" before induction as penance for Spygate, the 2007 cheating scandal that cost the team a first-round draft pick. Commissioner Roger Goodell also fined the Patriots $500,000 and fined Belichick $250,000.
Polian did not immediately respond to a request for comment."
Belichick led the Patriots to six Super Bowl victories during his time as head coach, and was on Bill Parcells' coaching staffs when the New York Giants won two before that. He also won 17 division titles in New England - an NFL record, and nine AFC championships.
The inductees will be announced during the week leading up to Super Bowl LX.