SAN JOSE, Calif. — NFL commissioner Roger Goodell believes Bill Belichick belongs in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, though the league has no official role in candidates reaching Canton.

“Bill Belichick’s record goes without saying, same with the Patriots and Robert Kraft, who is also a candidate. They are spectacular. They have contributed so much to this game, and I believe they will be Hall of Famers,” Goodell said Monday.

Belichick won a record six Super Bowl titles as head coach of the Patriots. He was fired after the 2022 season and replaced by Jerod Mayo as head coach in New England.

Goodell said “we’re not involved in it” when prodded for his take on how Belichick could not be a first-ballot Hall of Fame selection in the 2026 class that will be named officially on Thursday night during the NFL Honors program and enshrined in a ceremony in Canton in August.

The Hall of Fame operates independently of the league with a committee untethered by NFL preferences.

Belichick was up for selection alongside Patriots owner Robert Kraft and senior player candidates: Bengals quarterback Ken Anderson, 49ers running back Roger Craig and Steelers defensive end L.C. Greenwood.

Public speculation surrounded voters not supporting Belichick because of the 2007 Spygate scandal and the Deflategate drama that resulted in a suspension for quarterback Tom Brady.

–Field Level Media