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Who’d have thought that Bill Belichick would steal the news cycle of a Super Bowl that he’s not even in — in a league that he no longer coaches in?
Who’d have thought that Bill Polian, who hasn’t worked in an NFL front office since 2011, would end up getting almost as much attention?
But that’s what has happened since ESPN reported that Belichick would not be a first-ballot Hall of Famer when the results are announced on the “NFL Honors” show on Feb. 5. The news was a major shock, given Belichick’s Super Bowl titles — six as a head coach, two more as an assistant — make for an impossible-to-deny case for the Hall.
And yet, the Hall is making Belichick wait.
Colin Cowherd offers his thoughts on Bill Belichick’s Hall of Fame snub
ESPN’s initial report is the primary reason why Polian has taken on such a prominent role. Polian is a former Indianapolis Colts general manager and a current Hall of Fame voter. In that ESPN story, Polian was reported to have told voters Belichick should have to “wait a year” due to Spygate, the videotaping scandal back in 2007. Polian later denied saying that, but he told ESPN that he heard other voters “float the idea.”
The backlash for Belichick’s impending rejection has been significant. And fair or not, Polian initially stood as a scapegoat for the committee. There are 50 voters, all members of the media in one way or another — including Polian, who works for SiriusXM (and is a Hall of Famer himself).
Polian released a statement on Wednesday to clarify.
“I voted for Coach Belichick in the Hall of Fame selection meeting,” Polian said on Sirius XM. “The Pro Football Hall of Fame has confirmed that fact through the auditors of the selection process. Again, I’ll state that I never said that I believed that Coach Belichick should ‘wait a year’ for enshrinement. This has been confirmed by the Pro Football Hall of Fame, numerous selectors who were in the room and my vote for Coach Belichick.
“As a Hall of Fame member and selector, I realize the import of what we do. I’ve always tried as a selector to make these difficult choices with the utmost objectivity. I’ve said on Sirius XM Radio and numerous other media outlets that I believe Coach Belichick to be a first-ballot Hall of Famer. My vote confirms that.”
The ESPN report wasn’t the only reason Polian became such a feasible scapegoat. It was also his history of contention with the Patriots.
Throughout New England’s dynasty under Belichick and Tom Brady, there was one AFC team that wanted to take the Patriots down as much as anyone. It was the Colts.
New England had plenty of other rivals, of course. The Ravens were often a threat in the playoffs. Belichick loved beating up on the Jets, whom he left at the altar to join the Patriots (resigning as New York’s coach to take the job in New England). But the Colts’ rivalry was something fierce.
The first iteration of that rivalry had the Brady-Peyton Manning duel at its center. But Manning, coach Tony Dungy and GM Bill Polian were often on the losing side of things. From 1998 to 2011 (the Polian era), the Patriots were 11-6 in the regular season and 2-1 in the postseason against the Colts.
Belichick’s Patriots had a lot of success vs. Tony Dungy’s Colts. (Photo by Rob Tringali/Sportschrome/Getty Images)
The rivalry between New England and Indianapolis spilled off the field as well. In the mid-2000s, the Colts were one of the teams that suffered from Belichick’s Spygate scandal, with the Patriots’ illegally videotaping opponents’ signs, including Indy.
Polian also engineered a rule change in 2004 that limited defensive back contact with receivers — dubbed the “Ty Law Rule,” in reference to the former New England cornerback. That rule adjustment traced directly back to a postseason game during which Law and the Patriots got extremely physical with the Colts’ receivers, particularly downfield.
Polian apparently didn’t like that, so he played a big part in making the rule that led to stricter enforcement of contact past five yards downfield.
It’s worth noting that Indy later turned in a football that sparked the Deflategate scandal — but Polian played zero role in that. It simply increased the rivalry and dislike between Belichick’s Patriots and the Colts.
If Polian did in fact vote for Belichick, then hopefully this is the end of the former GM taking the brunt of the criticism in the Belichick-Hall snub saga. And perhaps the voters who snubbed Belichick will come out and explain why, like Vahe Gregorian did.
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