That 100-percent certainty may not be so firm after all.
NFL Hall of Famer Bill Polian backtracked off his initial claim that he “100 percent” voted for Bill Belichick for the Hall of Fame after the legendary coach shockingly did not make the cut in his first attempt, instead lowering that figure and thus adding some uncertainty about his role in Belichick’s exclusion.
The ex-Colts general manager has been accused of attempting to keep Belichick from being a first-ballot Hall of Famer due to his role in “SpyGate.”
Bill Polian (c) with his Hall of Fame bust in 2015.
“Polian added that he could not remember with 100% certainty if he voted for Belichick, saying he was 95% sure he voted for the coach and a player, ‘most likely’ L.C. Greenwood,” ESPN’s Don Van Natta Jr. and Seth Wickersham reported Tuesday night.
Belichick not being voted into the Hall of Fame in his first attempt is shocking since he’s regarded as one of — if not the — greatest football coaches to ever live with his six championships while leading the Patriots from 2000-23, plus his two while serving as a Giants assistant coach.
Many have wondered how at least 11 of the 50 Hall of Fame voters said no, with the voting block including veteran reporters, Polian and ex-Colts and Buccaneers coach Tony Dungy, per ESPN.
“Spygate” and “Deflategate” reportedly helped sway some voters, and an ESPN source accused Polian of using his sway to hold Belichick accountable for his role in the former scandal.
Polian, whose Colts continuously clashed with the Patriots for AFC supremacy during his time with the club from 1998-2009 before he transitioned to team president, purportedly told voters that Belichick should have to “wait a year” due to the 2007 videotaping saga.
The NFL fined Belichick and the Patriots and docked them their 2008 first-round pick for their role.
Bill Belichick in 2022 with the Patriots.
Polian, 83, initially outright denied his involvement.
“That’s totally and categorically untrue. I voted for him,” he told Sports Illustrated‘s Matt Verderame, who tweeted the quote at 6:37 p.m.
In a separate interview Tuesday night after the ESPN piece originally went live at 5 p.m. ET, though, Polian allowed some wiggle room.
He denied to ESPN that he told voters not to vote for Belichick due to “Spygate,” but added he heard other voters “float the idea.”
Polian did not tell ESPN if he agreed or disagreed with said notion, and then lowered his confidence percentage in his recollection of his vote.
“I was shocked to learn Bill didn’t get in,” Polian told ESPN. “He deserves to be in the Hall of Fame.”
Regardless of Polian’s vote, one anonymous source told the Worldwide Leader that the cheating had to be a factor in why the 73-year-old would not make the cut.
Belichick reportedly was “surprised” and “disappointed” by the outcome, even mentioning to an associate how six titles somehow wasn’t enough.
“The only explanation (for the outcome) was the cheating stuff,” one source told ESPN. “It really bothered some of the guys.”
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