Bill Polian addresses Bill Belichick HOF controversy

Despite winning six Super Bowls and appearing in nine as a head coach, Bill Belichick will not be a first-ballot Hall of Fame inductee.

Per ESPN's Don Van Natta Jr. and Seth Wickersham, Belichick failed to receive 80 percent of the vote from the committee to get into the Hall of Fame.

In the initial report, ESPN claimed multiple sources suggested that the Spygate and Deflategate controversies were brought up during discussions among the voters. 

One voter claimed that former Indianapolis Colts general manager and team president Bill Polian told voters that Belichick shouldn't be a first-ballot Hall of Fame head coach as a punishment for Spygate. (The Colts were rivals of the New England Patriots when Belichick was the head coach.)

In a Tuesday night update, Polian spoke with Van Natta. Polian claimed he didn't tell voters that he should serve a "one-year penance" for the Spygate scandal, but did say he heard the idea floated among voters. He wouldn't tell ESPN if he agreed or disagreed with the proposal to make Belichick wait a year.

In a bizarre twist, Polian, 83, remembered voting for Patriots owner Robert Kraft, but couldn't remember if he voted for Belichick or another player.

"Polian said he voted for Kraft and even spoke up on his behalf during the deliberations, saying Kraft had no knowledge of the Spygate scheme," Van Natta wrote. "Polian added that he could not remember with 100% certainty if he voted for Belichick, saying he was 95% sure he voted for the coach and a player, 'most likely' L.C. Greenwood."

Bill Polian's comments on Bill Belichick didn't do the Hall of Fame any favors

Polian said he was "shocked" to see Belichick wasn't voted into the Hall of Fame as a coach and said the New England icon deserves the honor.

It's curious why the committee has voters who cannot remember which person they voted for so soon after a vote. The decision should be important enough for a committee member to retain.

The committee's decision to snub Belichick from becoming a first-ballot inductee undermined the integrity of the Hall of Fame. Polian's statements to Van Natta didn't help himself or the Hall of Fame.