Football season is here!!!

[KarateKen]

A bombshell on Tuesday night that also has to be one of the most bonehead moves in the history American sports.  Former Patriots and Browns head coach Bill Belichick was not voted into the Hall of Fame, getting less than the 40 votes needed to be selected.  He will get in, probably next year, but to not make him a first ballot HOF coach is beyond asinine. 

[DarthPenguin]

3 hours ago, KarateKen said:

A bombshell on Tuesday night that also has to be one of the most bonehead moves in the history American sports.  Former Patriots and Browns head coach Bill Belichick was not voted into the Hall of Fame, getting less than the 40 votes needed to be selected.  He will get in, probably next year, but to not make him a first ballot HOF coach is beyond asinine. 

Definitely. Is kinda like the absurd bar the Baseball HoF used to set that no one could be unanimous etc. even when it was blatantly obvious they should be. If Belichick isn't first ballot (much as i loathe him) then no other coach can be going forwards (unless they get 7 HC superbowl wins / 9 total wins maybe). Apparently it is 'punishment' for the cheating scandals but if that is the case then he should have had the punishment levied up front - defer his eligibility for a year or something

[sensei8]

8X Super Bowl Bill Belichick not receiving the required 40 votes out of 50 to be inducted into the NFL HOF as a first ballot entry does baffle me to the Nth degree.

There have been 59 Super Bowls and Belichick has won 8 of them. Belichick knows more about football than anybody else. If Belichick doesn’t deserve to be on a HOF ballot as a Head Coach then no other Head coach should be.

Imho!!

[sensei8]

Maybe, and it’s a stretch, Belichick didn’t receive the required votes as a punishment because he moved down to the college ranks.

Yeah, it’s a stretch!!

[KarateKen]

I agree with both of you, and it looks like there is going to be a full investigation.  I also agree with what some people have said on TV which is anyone who did not vote for Belichick should publicly explain it.  There has also been talk of former Colts executive Bill Pollion who said he did not remember for sure if he voted for Belichick.  Come on, that is just nonsense.  If he can't remember he should not have a vote.  Then later he said (after the blowback) he did vote for Belichick.  Which is it?  Heads need to roll.  Not only is this clearly a monumental failure but it is shallow and short sighted.  It makes the whole NFL look bad.  It damages the integrity of the HOF.  Jimmy Johnson, Ty Law, Tom Brady, Patrick Mahomes, Troy Aikman, JJ Watt, and many others have sounded off about this.  Jimmy Johnson especially did not hold back, same with longtime sportswriter Peter King.  Players, fans, coaches, broadcasters, and more have called this out for what a terrible mistake it was. I have not seen one person who defended it or agrees with it.  Not one.  Have you?  This is an abomination that has created a national firestorm. 

Prediction: Belichick gets in next year and gets every single vote.  

 

 

[KarateKen]

The US government approved ESPN buying NFL Network and RedZone.  The NFL has been trying to sell off NFL Network for years since it was not profitable and they finally were able to.  ESPN will now own NFL Network (or whatever the new name might be) and RedZone.  It does not appear that it will change anything leading up to the Super Bowl this week, but next season it could shake up some of the on-air talent and game coverage.  

Maybe it is just in my circles, but I don't hear much talk about the game this year.  We are a week away and almost all the football talk I am hearing is about Belichick and the ESNP/NFL deal I just wrote about.  Usually there is some kind of a storyline leading up to the game.  Maybe it will pick up now that it is game week and not a bye.  I don't have a rooting interest in the game, as of now.  Could change I guess if something were to happen this week.  *shrugs* 

The Raiders are expected to hire Seahawks OC Klint Kubiak as their HC after the Super Bowl.  The Arizona Cardinals have hired Rams OC Mike LaFleur as head coach.  There was an NFL record 10 head coach openings, most have been filled.  

[sensei8]

15 hours ago, KarateKen said:

The Raiders are expected to hire Seahawks OC Klint Kubiak as their HC after the Super Bowl

Raiders are going to need more than a HC, even from the ranks of the Seahawks because he won’t have the talent of the Seahawks. Hopefully the Raiders won’t squander their draft picks.

[KarateKen]

Another terrible look for the NFL.  It has been discovered that NY Giants co-owner Steve Tisch has been listed in the Epstein files, named over 400 times. Roger Goodell has said that he will "look into all the facts," with rumors that Tisch could be forced to sell, though that remains unknown at this time.  Tish has admitted he knew Epstein but denies any wrongdoing. 

Other NFL owners who were named were Jets owner Woody Johnson, Commander's owner Josh Harris. the team's former owner Dan Snyder, and Patriots owner Robert Kraft, as well as a few others.  Who else is in them? Jay-Z.  Why does that matter to the NFL? Jay Z has a company called "Roc Nation" which is who puts on the Super Bowl halftime show.  The NFL has been in business with Jay Z since 2019. The NFL stuck with Jay Z after serious allegations against him came up in 2024, let's see if they stand by his side again after this one. 

There were also names from other sports leagues, such as the owner of the LA Dodgers, Pittsburgh Penguins, and former MLB star Sammy Sosa.

As of this writing there are no criminal charges pending for anyone I mentioned.  This is a very long and complicated situation with a ton to unpack, but to have these names come out in the files the week of the Super Bowl is not a good situation for the league.  Instead of talking about the game, the news is about owners being in the Epstein files.  Wow!