The NFL world is buzzing - and not in a good way - after news broke that Bill Belichick, the architect behind the New England Patriots dynasty, didn’t make the Pro Football Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility. Add team owner Robert Kraft to that list of surprising omissions, and you’ve got a storm of controversy brewing during Super Bowl week.
Few voices resonate louder in these debates than Hall of Famer Terrell Owens, who hasn’t exactly been shy about his feelings on the Hall’s selection process. Speaking from Super Bowl Radio Row in San Francisco, Owens didn’t hold back when asked about the snubs of both Belichick and Kraft.
“These are two instrumental parts in the history of New England,” Owens said. “They’ve cemented who they are and their accomplishments.”
He’s not wrong. Belichick’s résumé is unmatched: six Super Bowl titles as a head coach, 333 total wins (regular season and playoffs), and a reputation as one of the greatest football minds the game has ever seen. Kraft, meanwhile, has overseen one of the most successful franchises in NFL history, helping to build the Patriots into a modern dynasty.
So why were they left out?
Owens believes the answer lies in the shadow of the 2007 videotaping scandal - a controversy that cost Belichick $500,000 and painted a target on the Patriots' back for years. If that’s what’s keeping Belichick out of Canton, Owens warns the same logic could be used against Tom Brady when his eligibility comes up in 2028.
“Regardless of if they cheated, even if they found out that they cheated, they’re not going to take the trophies away,” Owens said. “They’re not going to take their rings away.
Obviously, there was something proven that Tom Brady actually cheated because he served a suspension. So, why would he go in?”
It’s a provocative point, and one that forces a larger conversation about how off-field controversies - even those already punished by the league - should factor into Hall of Fame decisions.
Owens has long been a critic of the Hall’s voting process. He famously had to wait until his third year of eligibility to get in, despite numbers and accolades that clearly met the Hall’s standards. And he sees a pattern: voters allowing personal biases to cloud their judgment.
“I think everyone has seen what a cluster - mess it is,” Owens said. “When you look at the mission statements of Canton, and you look at the criteria of what it takes for coaches and players to get in - Robert Kraft checked the boxes, Bill Belichick checked the boxes. Even myself, I checked the boxes.”
His frustration is with the voters - largely made up of veteran sportswriters - who Owens believes are letting personal feelings interfere with the process.
“They have to take their feelings out of it,” he said.
It’s no secret that Belichick, like Owens during his playing days, wasn’t exactly warm and fuzzy with the media. His press conferences were famously terse, often revealing little more than the bare minimum. But as Owens points out, that shouldn’t be held against him.
“As a player and as a coach, to be who we are, there’s a duty, a responsibility we have when we sign that contract to be part of press conferences... Bill Belichick, he’s a coach.
That’s what made him one of the greatest. He kept all this information close to his vest.
He didn’t give you what he didn’t want to give you,” Owens explained. “You can’t get mad and upset for that, guy.
That’s what made him so successful.”
Owens sees this first-ballot snub not just as a personal slight to Belichick and Kraft, but as a symptom of a larger issue - a flawed process that gives too much power to too few people.
“Those guys have too much power to really ruin legacies as they’re doing right now,” he said.
It’s a strong statement, but one that echoes a growing sentiment around the league. Whether or not you agree with Owens, it’s hard to argue with the facts: Belichick is the most decorated head coach in NFL history. If that doesn’t get you into the Hall of Fame on the first try, then maybe it’s time to take a closer look at how that door is being guarded.
The Hall of Fame is supposed to be about legacy - and love him or hate him, Belichick’s legacy is undeniable.