One built the greatest dynasty in NFL history, the other was one of the most feared right-handed hitters ever - and neither got the call.
There’s snubs, and then there’s this.
A pair of snubs that, in their own ways, expose just how messy sports’ greatest honorific systems can be.
On Tuesday night, ESPN reported that Bill Belichick - yes, the Bill Belichick - did not get voted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility, falling short of the 40 of 50 votes needed for induction.
That outcome stunned players, coaches, fans, and even casual observers who assumed a resume like Belichick’s was a lock.
Patrick Mahomes, LeBron James, and countless others reacted on social media with disbelief, calling the snub “insane,” “disrespectful,” and “impossible.”
This isn’t a minor omission. With six Super Bowls as a head coach, nine conference titles, and more postseason success than any head coach in NFL history - not to mention two Super Bowl rings as a defensive coordinator - Belichick’s career is statistically unparalleled by most first-ballot Hall of Famers.
Yet, despite all that, the voters just didn’t get him this year.
Meanwhile, just a week earlier in a very different sport, another legendary figure faced his own HOF disappointment:
Oct 25, 2007; Boston, MA, USA; Boston Red Sox left fielder (24) Manny Ramirez singles in the 5th inning against the Colorado Rockies during game 2 of the 2007 World Series at Fenway Park. (Tom Szczerbowski/Imagn Images)Ramirez’s case is well-documented at this point.
One of the most prodigiously productive right-handed bats in baseball history, a World Series MVP, multiple Silver Sluggers, a batting title, and two World Series rings with the Red Sox - yet, on his 10th and final year on the ballot, he still fell dramatically short of the 75% needed for Hall election.
Ramirez’s career, brilliant as it was, remains tainted in many voters’ eyes because of PED suspensions - in 2009 and again in 2011 - which still weigh heavily on his Hall resume more than a decade after those events.
On the surface, these snubs might seem apples-to-apricots - different sports, different eras, different standards. But both cases ask the same uncomfortable question:
How should greatness be measured?
With Ramirez, voters have never been shy about saying his numbers are Hall-worthy - it’s the context that keeps him out. Steroids-era controversies still linger and instead of bouncing back in his final ballot year, Ramirez saw his support plateau in the mid-30s. A jump to 75% was always a long shot.
Belichick’s situation is different but no less controversial.
The accusations surrounding Spygate and Deflategate are cited by some voters as the reason they couldn’t bring themselves to vote for him, essentially turning a coaching dynasty into a morality test for the Hall.
So what tells us more about Hall of Fame voting systems?
A player who couldn’t climb out from under PED-era shadow despite dominant numbers? Or a coach - arguably the greatest ever - blocked because some voters can’t shake a couple of infractions from 20 years ago?
If Ramirez’s snub tells us that baseball’s voters still haven’t found a way to reconcile performance with era-wide ethical questions, then Belichick’s tells us that football voters may be even less consistent - evaluating character and legacy in wildly different ways than they do statistical greatness. Many would argue that Belichick’s resume is undeniable, even under the harshest ethical lens.
In the end, perhaps the bigger snub is the one that shouldn’t even be up for debate:
Bill Belichick.
The Patriots’ dynasty - the adjustments, the innovations, the sustained excellence across decades - is the template for modern NFL success. Not electing him on the first ballot shakes the very premise of what a Hall of Fame is supposed to honor.
And if the Hall won’t honor Belichick now? Then the question isn’t “Who’s the bigger snub?” - it’s “What do these halls actually mean anymore?”
The answer, at least this week, feels as complicated as the legacies they’re supposed to enshrine.
Feb 3, 2019; Atlanta, GA, USA; New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick celebrates with granddaughter Blakely after beating the Los Angeles Rams in Super Bowl LIII at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. (Matthew Emmons/Imagn Images)JOIN THE CONVERSATION:
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Tom Carroll is a contributor for Roundtable, with boots-on-the-ground coverage of all things Boston sports. He's a senior digital content producer for WEEI.com, and a native of Lincoln, RI.