The new inductees to the Pro Football Hall of Fame will not be officially announced until February 5th; however, there are reports all over the Internet saying that the voters did not elect Bill Belichick in his first year of eligibility. The backlash to that news – – I am assuming that it is correct – – has been wide-ranging from sports commentators (Ryan Clark) to Hall of Fame football players (JJ Watt/Tom Brady) to NBA stars (LeBron James). I have not seen any mention of a US Senator taking the floor to speak on this matter yet; but do not rule it out.
I am of two minds on this:
- Clearly, Bill Belichick’s coaching record is Hall of Fame worthy; if his record is deemed to be insufficient, then most coaches inducted into the Hall to date need to be expelled. If this “omission” is corrected in the next year or two, then the voters who “blocked” his election this year can claim to have made a point regarding some of the scandals that tracked his career in New England. And at that point, all will be well.
- Alternatively, if this turns out to be nothing but pettiness on the part of media folks who covered the Pats during Belichick’s time there and who were “offended” by his conduct and demeanor in those required press conferences, then it is they who should be sanctioned or shunned. Maybe – – I said maybe – – there is a case to be made for considering “scandals” in the voting process for the Hall of Fame but there is not room for pettiness or score-settling.
Moving on … The Commissioners of five major professional sports were supposed to meet with President Trump earlier this week, but the meeting was postponed by the snow and ice event that crippled the DC area. The agenda for the meeting was reported to be about sports events related to the celebration of the 250th “birthday” of the United States in 2026. We already know about two planned events:
- There will be a UFC program held on the White House lawn on Flag Day. The weigh-in for the fights will take place at the Lincoln Memorial [Please do not ask me to explain the reason for that.] and the fighters will make their way to the ring from the Oval Office [Why not?].
- There will be a four-day event called “Patriot Games” featuring one boy and one girl from every state. I have not seen any details as to what sort of competition(s) will happen at the Patriot Games so far.
Presumably, the President and the Commissioners will discuss any celebrations or festivities related to “America’s Birthday” that the leagues or the teams have planned. The NFL has already announced some plans to have an “America 250” logo emblazoned on sidelines and coins for tossing and things of that nature. I assume the other commissioners will arrive with ideas and pledges to do commemorative things during their seasons and at their high-profile events.
Switching gears … Late last week, there were reports that the FBI had opened an investigation into the death of Indy Colts’ owner, Jim Irsay. According to reports in the Washington Post, the investigation may also include Dr. Harry Haroutinian, an addiction specialist in California, who may have prescribed meds for Irsay prior to his passing. No autopsy was done after Irsay’s death; that circumstance could lead investigators to seek an exhumation and a chemical analysis. When Jim Irsay died, I said that he should rest in peace; an exhumation would interrupt that peace.
Finally, since I opened today with news about Bill Belichick, let me close with this from Coach Belichick:
“It’s not all about talent. It’s about dependability, consistency, and being able to improve. If you work hard and you’re coachable, and you understand what you need to do, you can improve.”
But don’t get me wrong, I love sports………