Every year, select individuals get inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. The selection honors players and others involved in the NFL. And this year, fans and peers in the football world assumed that New England Patriots Coach Bill Belichick would be chosen for the HoF. But with a lack of awareness on who gets selected and how, fans are wondering what goes on in the voting process.
Learn about the voting process in the Pro Football Hall of Fame below.
Who Can Get into the NFL Hall of Fame?
Anybody who is “connected with pro football in any capacity” can be selected for the Hall of Fame, its website indicates.
Who Votes for the NFL Hall of Fame?
As of 2026, there are 50 voters for the Pro Football Hall of Fame. According to the HoF’s website, its committee consists of “one media representative from each pro football city with two each from Los Angeles and New York, inasmuch as those cities have two teams in the National Football League. A 33rd member is a representative of the Pro Football Writers of America, and there are up to 17 at-large delegates.”
Each candidate for the HoF is “carefully scrutinized,” the website indicates, and the individual “must receive at least 80 percent approval” from the committee at its annual meeting before they can be elected to the HoF. However, the committee is not responsible for who gets elected to membership.
“Nobody should want to go into that Hall of Fame if Bill Belichick ain’t in as a first-ballot Hall of Famer. … It’s a disgrace.”@stephenasmith reacts to Bill Belichick not being a first-ballot Hall of Fame selection 👀 pic.twitter.com/VH9P70uVGo
— First Take (@FirstTake) January 28, 2026
Furthermore, any fan can nominate a qualified name who has “been connected with pro football in any capacity simply by writing to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.” The restriction is that a player must have played at least five seasons prior to being considered for the HoF, and “players must have received at least one generally recognized postseason honor.”
Did Coach Bill Belichick Get into the Hall of Fame?
No, Coach Belichick did not get elected into the Hall of Fame, ESPN’s Seth Wickersham and Don Van Natta Jr. reported in late January 2026. He did not receive the 40 out of 50 votes necessary for selection.
Belichick’s fans and peers were outraged by the outcome.
