Dan Orlovsky urges Pro Football Hall of Fame to rectify Bill Belichick snub
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The football conversations leading up to Super Bowl LX weren’t about the game itself; Instead, it was news that legendary New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick would not be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame on his first ballot.
The backlash from the leaked news out of Canton had Tom Brady, Robert Kraft, Patrick Mahomes and more expressing their displeasure toward the Hall’s selection committee.
But a former NFL quarterback believes the Hall of Famer can still “fix” his “terrible mistakes.”
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Then-New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick during the second half of an NFL football game against the New Orleans Saints on Sunday, Oct. 8, 2023, in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer, File)
Dan Orlovsky, now an NFL analyst for ESPN, said on “First Look” Thursday that there’s still time to make changes.
PRO FOOTBALL HALL OF FAME WARNED VOTERS AGAINST BILL BELICHICK’S SNUB ABUSE
In fact, he begs those who have the power to do so.
“What a great opportunity for the Hall of Fame to fix this. And I know — this isn’t the participation trophy that’s been thrown out there. There’s a new voting process. It’s clearly flawed,” he said on the show, according to Awful Announcing. “Why can’t the Hall of Fame take a step back and say, ‘Let’s check what actually happened here and fix this.’
“There’s not a single person who has come up with a legitimate reason why Coach Belichick shouldn’t be a Hall of Famer on the first ballot. This is obviously a big deal. Unless someone does that, why won’t the Hall of Famer take a step back and say, ‘You know what? We reconsidered. Everybody brings up a lot of good points. The process is an imperfect process. Let’s make sure we do it the right way.’ Because the right thing to do is to induct him into the Hall of Fame on the first ballot. I understand that everyone is in turmoil saying, ‘No, you can’t go back.’ Oy.’ Why not? Why can’t the Hall of Fame do the right thing and recognize the terrible mistake that was made?”
Changing the results of a vote for a candidate is obviously something that has never happened before for the Hall. But Orlovsky doesn’t care what happened in the past.
“Just because it’s never happened before doesn’t mean it won’t happen in the future,” he added. “For anyone sitting there saying, ‘Personal bias affected,’ of course it did. They’re human beings. Believe me, bias will play its part when you vote for the awards. Bad blood shouldn’t do that, and at least according to reports, bad blood played its part in that.”
Dan Orlovsky watches Super Bowl LVII between the Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona on February 12, 2023. (Carmen Mandato/Getty Images)
“The other part is: Who’s next? Who’s next? Who’s going to be the next person to suffer the consequences of saying, ‘You treated me bad in the locker room’?”
Vahe Gregorian of the Kansas City Star wrote: column Wednesday He revealed that he was one of at least 11 Hall of Fame voters who did not vote for Belichick. He’s the only one who does this.
While one report stated that Belichick’s involvement in Patriots-related scandals such as Spygate and Deflategate could lead to his loss on the first ballot, Gregorian, who has covered the league for nearly 40 years, said he felt “duty” to cast his votes for veteran candidates Ken Anderson, Roger Craig and LC Greenwood, believing they were likely looking for their last chance to get into the Hall.
Belichick was part of a five-man pool, separate from the 15-man modern-era ballot measure in which each voter is tasked with selecting only three members to enter the Hall. They include three senior prospects, one participant who happens to be Patriots owner Robert Kraft, and one coach.
ESPN Broadcaster Dan Orlovsky speaks before the game between the Baltimore Ravens and Detroit Lions at M&T Bank Stadium on September 22, 2025 in Baltimore, Maryland. (G Fiume/Getty Images)
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Can the Hall of Fame correct the mistake Orlovsky says he made? They have the power, but there’s no word they’ll do so before the news of the Class of 2026 heading to Canton being officially announced during the NFL Honors Ceremony on Feb. 5 is confirmed.
Belichick has the second most wins by a coach of all time, behind the great Don Shula. Belichick won six Super Bowls in New England and twice while he was defensive coordinator with the New York Giants.
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