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Hall of Fame voter chose Patriots owner Robert Kraft over Bill Belichick

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Another Pro Football Hall of Fame voter who didn’t check off Bill Belichick’s name for the Class of 2026 has come forward explaining his choice.

He chose New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft over Belichick, too.

FOX59/CBS4 Sports reporter Mike Chappell, who covered the Indianapolis Colts for over 40 years, was the second voter to come forward explaining his decision on why he didn’t vote for Belichick in a column posted this week. 

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Bill Belichick talks to reporters

New England Patriots former head coach Bill Belichick addressed the media at Gillette Stadium about his departure. (John Tlumacki/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)

Kansas City Star’s Vahe Gregorian was the first to do so, also penning a column.

Like Gregorian, Chappell noted that being forced to choose up to three names from the five-man group with Belichick, Kraft and three senior members made it hard. Chappell chose two of the senior candidates, believing it was their final chance of making it into the hallowed halls of Canton.

Thus, Kraft and Belichick were left. He chose the former.

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DAN ORLOVSKY CALLS FOR HALL OF FAME TO FIX ‘EGREGIOUS MISTAKE’ WITH BILL BELICHICK SNUB: ‘MAKE IT RIGHT’ 

“As one of 50 selectors, I voted FOR Robert Kraft, the long-time and accomplished New England Patriots owner,” Chappell wrote in his column. “I did not vote AGAINST Bill Belichick, the long-time and accomplished head coach of that dynasty. I realize that’s a difference without a distinction, but I’m comfortable with my decision.”

Chappell went on to explain why he believed Kraft was deserving of this year’s class over Belichick.

“Kraft’s role in building the Patriots’ dynasty beginning in 1994 AND his undeniable role in helping negotiate the end of the 100-play-day work stoppage in 2011 — while his wife was gravely ill — that has resulted in long-standing labor peace,” Chappell wrote. “He’s also been involved behind the scenes in bolstering the NFL’s ever-increasing TV revenue.”

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It was reported that Belichick being involved with the Patriots during the infamous Spygate and Deflategate scandals impacted him not being a first-ballot Hall of Famer.

For Chappell, Spygate was involved in his decision.

Bill Belichick vs Saints

Then-New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick during the second half of an NFL football game against the New Orleans Saints, Sunday, Oct. 8, 2023, in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer, File)

“There’s no erasing the stain of Spygate from his bio,” he wrote. “This wasn’t alleged behavior. The NFL fined Belichick $500,000 — the maximum allowed — along with docking the Patriots $250,000 and a first-round draft pick for illegally videotaping New York Jets signals in 2007.”

Chappell believes Belichick will be a Hall of Famer, but he was left with a tough choice in his eyes.

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“This year’s decision in no way insinuates Belichick isn’t Hall of Fame-worthy,” Chappell wrote. “Of course he is. I believe he makes it next year. Will that mean his gold jacket isn’t as bold had he been selected in his first year of eligibility? Of course not.”

To Chappell’s last point, others have commented otherwise, saying the integrity of the Hall of Fame has diminished because Belichick, who owns the second-most wins by a head coach all-time with six Super Bowls and two while a coordinator with the New York Giants, has a first-ballot resume.

Former NFL quarterback and current ESPN analyst Dan Orlovsky even went as far as to say the Hall of Fame should rectify its decision.

Bill Belichick at podium

New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick announces he is leaving the team during a press conference at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, on Jan. 11, 2024. (JOSEPH PREZIOSO/AFP)

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“There is not one person who has come out that’s made a justifiable reason for Coach Belichick to not be a first-ballot Hall of Famer,” Orlosky said on ESPN’s “First Take” on Thursday, per Awful Announcing. “This is obviously a big deal. Unless someone does, why can’t the Hall of Fame take a step back and be like, ‘You know what? We reevaluated. Everyone makes a lot of good points. The process is a flawed process. Let’s make sure that we do this the right way.’ Because the right thing is to have him in as a first-ballot Hall of Famer. I understand that everyone’s in this uproar like, ‘No, you can’t go back. The vote.’ Why not? Why can’t the Hall of Fame do the right thing and realize the egregious mistake that has happened.”

Others like Tom Brady, Patrick Mahomes, J.J. Watt, and Kraft, who called Belichick the “greatest coach of all time,” shared their displeasure with what happened.

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Tom Brady concedes GOAT title to another NFL legend

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While he is widely considered the greatest player in NFL history, Tom Brady has given that unofficial title to another gridiron great. A diehard 49ers fan during his childhood, Brady anointed former San Francisco receiver Jerry Rice as the greatest football player of all time. 

“Jerry sets the standard for every football player that’s ever played and will play in the future,” Brady said during the second episode of “Rise of the 49ers,” an AMC documentary about the 49ers’ dynasty. “He had a relentless drive to pursue his own excellence. 

“Jerry Rice is still the GOAT.” 

A fixture in the documentary, Brady conducted a sit-down interview Rice during the episode. Like Brady, Rice said that the secret to his success was in the dirt. His peerless work ethic led to him becoming unquestionably the best receiver of his era, but any era. 

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While their greatness can be debated, everyone can agree that Rice is to receivers what Brady is to quarterbacks. Both players at the top of their proverbial food chains. 

Rice is the NFL’s all-time career leader in receptions (1,549) and receiving yards. His 22,895 receiving yards are 5,403 more than Larry Fitzgerald, who is second all time behind Rice in both categories. Rice’s 197 career touchdown receptions are 41 more than the next closest receiver, Randy Moss. 

Speaking of Moss, Brady helped him break one of Rice’s most iconic records in 2007, when Moss broke Rice’s single-season touchdown receptions mark. Moss caught 23 that season, one more than Rice caught during the strike-shortened 1987 season. Rice caught 22 touchdowns in 12 games

Rice was at his best on the game’s biggest stage. He is the Super Bowl’s career leader in receiving yards (589) and touchdown catches (8). Rice’s 215 receiving yards in Super Bowl XXIII remains a single-game Super Bowl record. He caught seven passes for 148 yards and three touchdowns a year later in Super Bowl XXIV and pulled down 10 passes for 149 yards and three scores in the 49ers’ win over the Chargers in Super Bowl XXIX. He was truly a cut above the rest. 

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In all, Rice won three Super Bowls with the 49ers before playing in a fourth Super Bowl with the Raiders. 

Rice was the third receiver to win Super Bowl MVP. 
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Brady tops the charts in career passing yards (89,214) and has nearly 9,000 more yards than Drew Brees, the second most prolific passer in league history. His 649 career touchdown passes are 78 more than Brees, who retired as the career leader in both categories before Brady passed him. 

Super Bowls, however, may define Brady’s NFL career more than anything else. His seven Super Bowl wins are two more than any other franchise. He won a record five Super Bowl MVP awards and owns just about every Super Bowl career record and also owns the single-game record for passing yards (505). He also helped engineer the biggest comeback in Super Bowl history that was also the first Super Bowl to go to overtime. 

Brady’s fifth title cemented his legacy as the greatest QB of all-time. 
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Another similarity between the two is how well they both played well into their 40s. 

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Brady won two Super Bowls after turning 40 while becoming the second starting quarterback in NFL history to win a Super Bowl with multiple franchises. During his age-44 season, Brady led the NFL with 5,316 yards and 44 touchdown passes. 

At the age of 40, Rice earned his 13th Pro Bowl nod after catching 92 passes for 1,211 yards and seven touchdowns. He capped off that season with a 48-yard touchdown catch in the Super Bowl. 

While their careers did overlap, Brady and Rice never played together, which would have been similar to watching LeBron James and Michael Jordan join forces on the hardwood. And like LeBron/Jordan debate, any debate between Rice and Brady simply comes down to preference. 

For Brady, though, there is no debate to be had when it comes to the greatest football player of them all. 

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Ducks beat Kraken, jump them in standings in final game before break

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NHL: Seattle Kraken at Anaheim DucksFeb 3, 2026; Anaheim, California, USA; Anaheim Ducks left wing Cutter Gauthier (61) celebrates his goal scored against the Seattle Kraken with defenseman Jackson LaCombe (2) during the second period at Honda Center. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

Cutter Gauthier scored his team-leading 25th goal of the season as the Anaheim Ducks defeated the visiting Seattle Kraken 4-2 Tuesday night.

Jacob Trouba, Alex Killorn and Ross Johnston also scored and Jackson LaCombe and Jansen Harkins added two assists apiece for the Ducks, who won their second in a row and for the ninth time in their past 11 games to move past Seattle and into third place in the Pacific Division entering the Olympic break. Goaltender Lukas Dostal made 26 saves.

The Kraken, who saw their four-game winning streak snapped, will have a chance to regain that spot in the standings as they have one game left, Wednesday night in Los Angeles, before their three-week hiatus.

Seattle’s Jordan Eberle scored on a tip-in of Jared McCann’s shot at 15:31 of the third to spoil Dostal’s bid for his first shutout of the season.

The Kraken’s Shane Wright tallied at 17:29 after Dostal’s attempt at an empty-net goal was knocked down.

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Seattle goalie Philipp Grubauer stopped 27 of 31 shots.

Tuesday’s game completed the regular-season series between the division rivals, with the teams splitting the four matchups.

The Ducks outshot Seattle 11-7 in a scoreless first period.

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Anaheim opened the scoring at 4:01 of the second on a one-timer from the top of the right faceoff circle by Gauthier past a screened Grubauer just after a Kraken penalty had expired.

The Ducks made it 2-0 on defenseman Trouba’s goal at 19:27 of the period. Harkins carried the puck down the right wing before dropping a pass back to Trouba for a slap shot from the point that made it through a maze of players in front of the net.

Anaheim extended its lead to 3-0 as Killorn tallied just 24 seconds into the third on a wrist shot from low on the right wing through a screen.

Johnston made it 4-0 at 13:54 after Grubauer mishandled the puck behind his own net.

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–Field Level Media

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French footballer Kanté to join Turkish club after Erdogan intervenes to push transfer

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F‍rench footballer N’Golo Kanté has ​joined the Turkish side Fenerbahce after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan intervened to push through a transfer deal with Saudi club Al-Ittihad. 

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NFL fans react to Micah Parsons filming female cheerleaders at Pro Bowl

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Miach Parsons was named to the Pro Bowl in his first year with the Green Bay Packers. Although the superstar defensive end was in San Francisco to attend the Pro Bowl festivities on Tuesday, he was on an electric scooter while moving around Moscone Center due to his knee injury. In one of the videos from the festivities that went viral on social media, Parsons was spotted filming the female cheerleaders doing a routine for the crowd.

When fans caught wind of the video clip in which Parsons was filming the cheerleaders while on an electric scooter, they slammed the Packers star.

“Creep behavior,” one tweeted.

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“Nfl star or creep in training,” another added.

“He not slick,” a third commented.

Here are a few more reactions.

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“NAH THIS IS MESSED TF UP,” one wrote.

“Kinda hate that this streamer a*s dude is a packer now. Like bruh… get us to the nfc championship mr highest paid ever,” another added.

“Tell that lame a*s podcaster to show up in the playoffs. Don’t nobody care bout Micah,” a user tweeted.

Micah Parsons finished the 2025 season with 41 tackles, 12.5 sacks, 6.5 stuffs, two forced fumbles and one pass defended. However, he suffered a season-ending knee injury in Week 15 against the Denver Broncos.

Although Parsons helped the Packers qualify for the playoffs, his team was eliminated in the wildcard round with a 31-27 loss to the Chicago Bears.

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Micah Parsons explains how his relationship with Cowboys owner Jerry Jones soured last offseason

Green Bay Packers DE Micah Parsons - Source: GettyGreen Bay Packers DE Micah Parsons - Source: Getty
Green Bay Packers DE Micah Parsons – Source: Getty

Micah Parsons’ relationship with Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones soured last offseason, which led to the team trading the DE to the Packers in August. On Tuesday, Parsons opened up his acrimonious split with the Cowboys.

“I just wish some of those things never happened. You know what I mean?,” Parsons told Clarence Hill of All City DLLS Cowboys. “I wish that he never brought me into the office and just let the agent speak. And I wish he hadn’t compromised our relationship. I thought me and Jerry had a good relationship up to that point until this offseason, and it’s sad that it went to sh*t like that.”

Parsons played four years with the Cowboys, earning a Pro Bowl selection in each season. He signed a 4-year, $188 million extension with the Packers after the Cowboys traded him last year.