The humiliation of Bill Belichick has gone too far

Bill Belichick has not exactly showered himself in glory of late.

The final New England season left much to be desired. Tom Brady winning a Super Bowl in Tampa — and Mike Vrabel now returning the Patriots to the big game — rubbed a heaping of salt in the wound. The NFL’s disinterest in Belichick over the last two coaching cycles has been telling. Early returns on the North Carolina experiment are less than promising. And assign pretty much any adjective to his personal and professional partnerships with Jordon Hudson and it would probably fit the bill (ours would be befuddling).

The criticism, snark and vitriol sent his way over the last few years may not be warranted. But it was expected given how everything has unfolded.

But this? A disgraceful bridge too far.

Belichick, the greatest coach in the history of the game, has currently been denied induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame on the first ballot.

I say currently because someone must have the ability to correct something so embarrassing and egregious. This is not a joker leaving Derek Jeter off the ballot for Cooperstown. Hall of Fame CEO Jim Porter should invent whatever emergency power is necessary to unilaterally induct Belichick. Just order one more gold jacket and never speak of this again.

Will this happen? Probably not. Belichick would likely decline anyway. But the willingness alone would preserve some of the Hall’s credibility. Nothing can be done on that front for the voters, though.

This insanity has exposed a wildly flawed process. Most people will be stunned to learn how the sausage is made.

There are 50 voters each year — one each for the 32 teams, a writer’s association member and 17 at-large spots. Many squat on their spot like it is a Supreme Court appointment. Our unofficial count identified 17 voters who are either retired or semi-retired media members, plus three individuals who now write for official team websites. Media members make up the bulk of the reporting pool with a handful of spots going to league employees and actual Hall of Famers.

This cabal is accountable to no one. That has to end now. At a minimum a significant amount of new selector spots should be added to the pool along with term limits on the team-aligned spots and public vote results.

ESPN’s report on Belichick’s snub said former Colts general manager and Hall of Famer Bill Polian politicked for Belichick to wait a year because of the Deflategate and Spygate scandals. Polian has since offered an non-denial denial, claiming he cannot recall with certainty he voted for Belichick and insisting he did not push for Belichick to be punished, but that others seemed to feel that way.

To be clear: Deflategate and Spygate were two of the most overblown events in the history of American sports. The Houston Astros’ sign-stealing scheme was beyond-the-pale cheating that could have gotten someone killed. What the Patriots did was misdemeanor-level chicanery at most. It had no impact on the championships and games they won. Deflategate was not even in Belichick’s purview — it was a Brady thing.

Using these kerfuffles as justification to deny Belichick a first-ballot induction — and to muck up future classes and turn other coaching candidates like Tom Coughlin and Mike Holmgren into collateral damage — is asinine. The same goes for denying Belichick the honor as some sort of hare-brained protest against new eligibility rules. Or screwing him because he was difficult with the media.

You do not take a stand with a man of Belichick’s stature. His resume is bulletproof — 333 career victories, six wins in nine Super Bowl appearances as a head coach, two championships as the Giants’ defensive coordinator and much more.

The irony is the unconscionable may finally break the fever. Belichick will finally begin to receive the flowers he deserves. Hell, this ordeal may even make him a sympathetic figure — or at least allow him to steal some of the spotlight as the Patriots go for their seventh ring and owner Robert Kraft potentially receives his own call to Canton.

It still seems unlikely Belichick will get another NFL job and a chance to chase Don Shula’s wins record. The Bills’ just-filled vacancy felt in many ways like the last realistic chance for the 73-year-old — Josh Allen, win-now roster, straining for the next level, new stadium, chance to stick it to New England and torment the Jets again. Other similar opportunities could still materialize — Cincinnati, Dallas, Washington, But it feels like that ship has sailed. And now, unfortunately, has been wrecked.