Could Bill Belichick being omitted from the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2026 cast a pall over the NFL legends who are being inducted? It’s an enduring topic in NFL media spaces, and at least some current members of the Hall of Fame are thinking about it as we wait to see who did make the cut at Thursday night’s NFL Honors ceremony. Former Dallas Cowboys quarterback and longtime broadcaster Troy Aikman said as much during an interview with The Rich Eisen Show.
“I just think the credibility of the Hall and I hate to say it because, uh, I am in the Hall of Fame, but it’s a huge black eye for them and I don’t know what it’s going to look like in August at the ceremony,” Aikman said. “And unfortunately it will reflect not poorly but it will reflect on this current class and that’ll be the cloud that hangs over this current Class of ’26 as they go in and what is and should be, really, a lifetime of memories for your career, and such a great achievement.”
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And the members of this Class of 2026 are expected to include New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees. To an extent, Aikman is right to point out that Belichick’s omission will trail this year’s festivities. But that doesn’t take anything away from Brees and what he accomplished. He and the Saints fans who cheered him on for so many years shouldn’t lose any sleep over Belichick not getting in on his first ballot. New England Patriots fans didn’t bat an eye when the NFC Championship No-Call helped keep the Saints from lining up against their team in the Super Bowl.
Sometimes you get screwed. That’s life. It isn’t fair, but it does go on, and eventually Belichick will get inducted despite the voters’ misgivings. What’s important is that whoever does get inducted this year — Brees, Larry Fitzgerald, and the other deserving candidates — gets to keep the focus on themselves and their great careers.
This article originally appeared on Saints Wire: Bill Belichick snub overshadows Drew Brees, Larry Fitzgerald HOF class
