Obvious things should be obvious. Water is wet. Pineapple does not belong on pizza. Derrick Thomas is the best pass rusher ever. These things are not debatable.
This might seem, well, obvious, but society only works properly when obvious things remain obvious, when what is undeniable or automatic is treated thusly. The tapestry of which we're all part begins to fray and fall apart when heavenly elements are treated like earthly goods. When the sacred is treated profanely, chaos ensues.
If that all sounds nonsensical, or at least rather odd, it's because some of the powers-that-be within the National Football League have decided to treat obvious things as non-obvious in the form of Bill Belichick's candidacy for the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio.
Sources familiar with the voting results for this year's HOF ballot have revealed to two ESPN reporters, Seth Wickersham and Don Van Natta Jr., that Belichick fell short of the 80 percent vote total needed to be a first-ballot entrant in 2026. Per ESPN, Belichick's response: "What does a guy have to do?"
Belichick is right. Why? Because he is obvious. The totals are mindblowing, a never beforeseen assortment of coaching accolades and accomplishments until Belichick made them happen: Six Super Bowl titles, 3 Coach of the Year awards, a member of two all-decade teams (2000s, 2010s). He's even earned a PFWA Executive of the Year award.
Bill Belichick’s HOF snub shows how dangerous it is when voters ignore the obvious, and why Chiefs legends like Travis Kelce could be next.
Belichick owns the record for the most Super Bowl wins as a head coach, most SB appearances as a head coach, most playoff wins as a head coach. You get the drift. He's in the pantheon of the best head coaches to ever stand on an NFL sideline. He's in the conversation with Vince Lombardi or Tom Landry or George Halas for best head coach of all time. You can't even enter a discussion without reckoning with his presence and accomplishments.
Somehow, 20 percent (at least) of voters decided not to reward Belichick his first time around. It feels like a teacher who clearly dislikes a particularly gifted student who has temporary powers to slow his/her progress. It's childish. It's chaotic. It's ignoring the obvious.
This is a real problem going forward, even as it relates to the Kansas City Chiefs. Because if Hall of Fame voters can treat Bill Belichick's obvious candidacy in this way, they can do it to others who might have drawn the ire or disapproval of others who are just as deserving—or at least in the same "obvious" category.
Is it too much of a reach to assume the same might happen to Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce? Belichick is not America's Favorite Coach. That much is clear. But liking someone is not the same as agreeing that they deserve credit for their accomplishments. And it's possible that another obvious first-ballot Hall of Famer like Travis Kelce could be marginalized for a year (or more) because some persons decide they're "over" him.
Kelce is, after all, a polarizing player at this point. He's become a globally recognized figure whose charisma is either a part of his considerable draw or a turnoff to the curmudgeons who are tired of seeing him everywhere. The Chiefs' ubiquitous presence in primetime doesn't help, but bringing Taylor Swift into the NFL's fold is bound to have some haters, right?
If so, it would be stupid. Why? Because it's obvious. Kelce's candidacy is obvious. So is Belichick. This entire affair is ludicrous, but now we're going to have to wait six months for a Hall of Famer ceremony that will feel disingenuous because perhaps the single most deserving potential inductee has been left out in the cold due to some persons deciding to make it about them.
Obvious things should remain obvious, and those who can't play along with those rules should not have the power to make such a call. In such egregious circumstances like this, the 10 or more voters who cast a ballot against Belichick should have to answer for it—or lose their privileges going forward to make sure that sure things are treated as such.