WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump ripped the Pro Football Hall of Fame selection process after legendary coach Bill Belichick was not elected on his first ballot, linking the decision to what he called the NFL’s “unwatchable” new kickoff format.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump said the same “mindset” that produced the league’s new kickoff rule “made it possible” for Belichick to miss immediate induction, adding that both “should be overturned,” while using the phrase “Sissy” to describe the kickoff change.
https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/115972714460477814
Belichick, a six-time Super Bowl-winning head coach with the New England Patriots and a two-time Super Bowl champion as a defensive coordinator with the New York Giants, fell short of the votes needed for election in his first year of eligibility. The decision sparked debate across the football world, with some pointing to lingering backlash over the Patriots’ Spygate and Deflategate controversies as a possible factor in the vote.
Belichick’s résumé is among the most decorated in modern NFL history: six championships in 24 seasons with the Patriots, multiple Coach of the Year awards, and a record that places him among the league’s all-time winningest coaches.
Trump also referenced the NFL’s redesigned kickoff, known as the “Dynamic Kickoff”, which the league has said is intended to reduce high-speed collisions by aligning players closer together and restricting movement until the ball reaches the return area. Trump has criticized the change before, calling it “sissy football” in earlier remarks about the revamped format.
Belichick and Trump have a long public history. In 2016, Trump read a letter from Belichick at a campaign rally, and Belichick later told reporters their friendship “goes back many years.” Trump later planned to award Belichick the Presidential Medal of Freedom, but Belichick declined in 2021 after the U.S. Capitol riot. In 2024, Trump also appeared with Belichick on Belichick’s “Let’s Go” podcast during the election season, drawing renewed attention to their relationship.
