The last 24 hours in the NFL world have been chaotic, to say the least, as the shocking news about Bill Belichick not being a first-ballot Hall of Famer dominated headlines. The legendary Patriots' head coach has accomplished more than any other in the history of the league, yet drawn-out grudges from years past have now become what some used to keep him out of Canton in 2026.
Rumors swirled that Bill Polian, a former longtime Colts executive who has several controversies of his own, cited Spygate and possibly Deflategate as reasons to keep Belichick out for "at least one year."
Despite the league punishing the head coach and the Patriots' organization for those allegations, Polian felt it necessary to add more, thereby officially tainting his own legacy in the process.
That prompted several reporters, including ESPN's Don Van Natta Jr., to reach out to Polian about ongoing rumors that he advocated to HOF voters to keep Belichick from becoming an easy first-ballot honoree. And, in typical fashion, Polian is making the entire situation worse by changing stories.
Bill Polian can't help but make Bill Belichick's Hall of Fame snub look even worse
Sports Illustrated's Matt Verderame initially reported Polian dismissed the suggestion that he influenced the vote and stated the rumors about him are "totally and categorically untrue," especially since he "voted for him."
However, just a few hours later, Van Natta announced he had interviewed Polian, and he had a new story. He couldn't remember with certainty whether he voted for Belichick.
I interviewed Bill Polian tonight. He denied telling fellow voters that Belichick should do a year of “penance” for Spygate, though he remembers other voters saying it.
— Don Van Natta Jr. (@DVNJr) January 28, 2026
He also can’t remember with 100 percent certainty if he voted for Belichick. He is certain he voted for Kraft. pic.twitter.com/zLeB6Xxsz8
Considering that only a few hours earlier, he said he voted for Belichick, his denials of the entire story about his influence start to look a lot more fishy.
It's no secret that Polian has had issues with Belichick in the past, particularly since he worked for the Colts for over a decade and served in a front-office role during the Deflategate nonsense.
That makes it harder to believe he had no involvement in ensuring the head coach didn't make it into the Hall this year, and that he and the Hall of Fame lose any and all credibility.
Clearly, this situation is only going to get worse the more Polian speaks to reporters, and voters who come out claiming they voted for Belichick when ten of them didn't. This is a really bad look for the NFL, and they need to be held accountable for the consistently questionable decisions they make; this is just the latest scandal.