The Herd with Colin Cowherd THE HERD - Hour 1 - Bill Belichick not being a first ballot Hall of Famer, what goes on in the voting room, Seth Wickersham
Jan 28, 2026
Seth Wickersham, ESPN senior writer and best-selling author, walks through what unfolded in Hall of Fame voting around Bill Belichick. He recounts inside details from the voting room. The conversation covers Spygate’s lingering effects, coaching legacy and relationships, and how voting mechanics and timing shaped the surprising result.
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Context Matters More Than Trophies
- Bill Belichick not being a first-ballot Hall of Famer reflects voters weighing context beyond raw championships.
- Colin Cowherd argues factors like dependence on Tom Brady and reputation issues plausibly caused voters to pause for a year.
Super Bowl Week Is High-Leverage
- Super Bowl week is the league's most valuable week, and Belichick's Spygate tarnished that moment in 2007.
- Colin says that incident likely cost Belichick goodwill with voters who value that marquee week.
Hall Timing Has Historical Variance
- Many historic great coaches (Lombardi, Walsh, Gibbs, Parcells, Jimmy Johnson) didn't gain first-year entry.
- Colin suggests voting methodology changes that allow immediate coach eligibility created an expectation mismatch.