Bill Belichick not getting into the HOF has sparked controversy worldwide. From LeBron James to Patrick Mahomes, many have spoken up against it.

Shannon Sharpe is the latest to speak on that matter. He was disappointed that the legendary coach could not get into the HOF. He talked about the reason why Belichick couldn't in the Nightcap podcast.

"I did think he would get in, but I knew that a lot of people still hold that Spygate, and Spygate was worse than they let on...There’s a reason why they sent those people there and they destroyed the tapes. Don’t bring them back. Destroy them there. It was worse. And I knew that they were going to hold that against him."

Shapre said no lie as spygate played a big role in Bill Belichick not getting into the Hall of Fame. OutKick's Armando Salguero, who brought Belichick up for debate, clearly said, "The reason that Bill Belichick is not in the Hall of Fame as a first ballot Hall of Famer is Spygate. Period."

And while many fans are angry because of this, Sharpe claims that Spygate was something much bigger than what it is told.

He talked of the incident where the league executives stomped the tapes into pieces and shredded the papers inside a Gillette Stadium conference room on orders. For those who don't know, Spygate was a 2007 controversy where the Patriots illegally filmed the Jets’ defensive signals.

This led the NFL to fine the team and Bill Belichick and strip New England of a first-round draft pick. Though the former NFL tight end is still disappointed over Bill Belichick not getting into the Hall of Fame because of this, he is not surprised by this decision.

Shannon Sharpe Unfazed Over Bill Belichick Missing the HOF

Sharpe expresses his dissatisfaction with Bill Belichick missing the chance, but he also said that he wasn't as disappointed as of the time when Terrell Owens missed it.

"I’m disappointed, but I’m not as upset about Coach Belichick not getting it as I was T.O. Because they changed the rules. They didn’t change no rules for Coach Belichick. The rule, you get three candidates. You get to vote for one. That’s it. They changed the rules to keep T.O out."

Terrell Owens is now in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, but he didn’t get in right away. He was a finalist multiple years, but the voters did not select him during his first two years on the ballot (2016 and 2017). All this after he is the 3rd all-time in receiving touchdowns and all-time in receiving yards alone.

Owens criticized it, saying, "Now they’re adding to the bylaws; they’re adding extra things to the criteria to be inducted." Something upon which Sharpe doubled down in the above statment.

What do you think about his words? Let us know in the comments.

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Written by

Reyansh Dubey

Edited by

Oajaswini Prabhu