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Bill Belichick belongs in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, but that time hasn't come yet due to the selection process, according to Vahe Gregorian of the Kansas City Star, who revealed himself Wednesday as one of the voters who was against first-ballot enshrinement. 

Gregorian directed his opinion toward the voting process and "curious selection dynamics" based on "illogical" candidate groupings. Gregorian said he didn't vote "against" Belichick or Patriots owner Robert Kraft.

"I voted for the three senior candidates: Ken Anderson, Roger Craig and L.C. Greenwood," Gregorian wrote. "You could call that rationalizing, I suppose. And I'm suddenly reminded of the fortune cookie wisdom that you should never try to explain, since your friends don't need it and your enemies won't believe it anyway."

How did Bill Belichick get snubbed? Inside the Hall of Fame vote, who backed him and what may have happened
John Breech
How did Bill Belichick get snubbed? Inside the Hall of Fame vote, who backed him and what may have happened

Gregorian's reasoning for not selecting Belichick had nothing to do with Deflategate or Spygate, he wrote.

"Perhaps that affected some voters, perhaps not. I can't and won't try to speak for others, and it's a condition of being a voter to not divulge the deliberations," he wrote. "But the so-called 'cheating stuff' is not at all the only possible explanation. Because it certainly didn't ultimately influence my vote."

Belichick fell short of the 40 votes needed from the 50-person selection committee to be inducted in his first year of eligibility.

Voters could cast votes for three of the five finalists and Belichick's snub became a major source of controversy.

Tom Brady and Kraft were among those leading voices who denounced Belichick's snub. Belichick became eligible this year because he has not coached in the NFL since 2023. 

North Carolina's football coach will be back up for nomination as part of the 2027 class.

"I don't understand it," Brady said during a Seattle Sports radio appearance. "I was with him every day. If he's not a first-ballot Hall of Famer, there's really no coach that should ever be a first-ballot Hall of Famer. Which is completely ridiculous, because people deserve it. He's incredible. There's no coach I'd rather play for. If I'm taking one coach to go out there to win a Super Bowl, give me one season, I'm taking Bill Belichick. So that's enough said."