The first Pro Football Hall of Fame voter that left Bill Belichick off of his ballot has revealed himself.
Vahe Gregorian, a veteran sports columnist for The Kansas City Star, explained his reason for leaving Belichick — a six-time Super Bowl-winning head coach — off of his Hall of Fame ballot, and said that the “cheating stuff” had nothing to do with his decision.
“But the so-called ‘cheating stuff’ is not at all the only possible explanation,” Gregorian wrote in a story published on Wednesday. “Because it certainly didn’t ultimately influence my vote.”
[Related: Brady mystified by Belichick’s Hall of Fame snub]
Instead, Gregorian explained why he thought the other candidates on the ballot were more deserving than Belichick, who is in his first year of Hall of Fame eligibility.
“In fact, I didn’t vote against Belichick or Kraft. I voted for the three senior candidates: Ken Anderson, Roger Craig and L.C. Greenwood,” Gregorian said.
Bill Belichick not voted into Hall of Fame in 1st year, Were the voters justified? | The Herd
Belichick needed at least 40 of 50 votes to be inducted to the Hall of Fame as a first-ballot selection. He will be eligible for the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2027.
The 2026 Pro Football Hall of Fame Class will be formally announced at the “NFL Honors” event in San Francisco on February 5, 2026.
