Another Hall of Fame voter has gone public with his "Thanks, but not yet" to Bill Belichick.
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Mike Chappell, a veteran Colts reporter who's been covering football longer than most of us have been alive, admitted he passed on Belichick in this year's Hall of Fame vote. Instead, he gave his support to Belichick's old boss, Patriots owner Robert Kraft.
"I did not vote against Bill Belichick," Chappell wrote in a Thursday column. "I realize that's a difference without a distinction, but I'm comfortable with my decision."
Sure, Mike.
Chappell becomes the second known voter who left Belichick off the ballot, joining Vahe Gregorian of the Kansas City Star. Both cited the Hall's voting format, which forced them to pick up to three names from a five-man pool that included Belichick, Kraft, and three senior candidates — Ken Anderson, Roger Craig, and L.C. Greenwood.
Chappell said he used two votes on senior guys who might not get another shot. That left one slot. Belichick or Kraft. He went with Kraft.
He gave Kraft credit for building the Patriots dynasty and for helping end the 2011 lockout while his wife was battling illness. He also mentioned the owner's role in ballooning the NFL's TV money. All fair points.
But one major knock tipped the scale against Belichick — Spygate.
"There's no erasing the stain," Chappell wrote, pointing out that Belichick was fined $500,000 and docked a first-round pick for illegally taping Jets signals back in 2007.
Still, Chappell says Belichick is a Hall of Famer. Just not this time. Not over Kraft.
The full Hall of Fame class will be announced next week. Until then, the Belichick snubs keep rolling in.
