SUNNYVALE, Calif. — Bill Belichick will not join Patrick Willis in the Pro Football Hall of Fame this week, and the 49ers legend told The California Post on Monday he didn’t “have much to say on that” stunning reality.
“They made the decision they made for the reason they did,” Willis said of the voters who snubbed Belichick. “And it is what it is.”
The former San Francisco linebacker added that he believes “there’s no question” Belichick’s deserving of the honor, but he didn’t want to speculate on why the ex-Patriots coach didn’t get in on the first ballot.
“We all know there’s more to it than just him not getting in,” Willis said while out at Lowe’s for a Super Bowl week event. “So, like I said, there isn’t too much more to really talk on that. That’s about it.”
Despite an eight-year career in San Francisco that featured seven Pro Bowls and five All-Pros, Willis was not a first-ballot Hall of Fame selection.
In fact, it took him nine total years before he finally got his bronze bust in 2024.
Belichick had appeared to be on his way to avoiding any kind of similar wait, but last week, ESPN reported he somehow fell short of the 40 out of 50 votes required.
The full Class of 2026 will be announced during NFL Honors on Thursday.
