Respected Hall Of Fame Voter Makes Stunning Admission About Steelers' Troy Polamalu Amidst Bill Belichick Controversy

The Pittsburgh Steelers have had a ton of great players throughout the history of the franchise, and near the top of that list is two-time Super Bowl champion, Troy Polamalu. Polamalu is considered one of the best safeties to ever play in the NFL, while also being a great and charismatic human off of the field. Polamalu was drafted by Pittsburgh in the first round of the 2003 NFL Draft, and he played with the franchise through the 2014 season when he eventually retired. He will forever be known as one of the greats, especially since he was voted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame on his first ballot.

There should never have been any doubt that Polamalu was a Hall of Famer. He won the Super Bowl twice as mentioned, while being named to an All-Pro team six times. He was also the league's Defensive Player of the Year in 2010. His resume is pristine, but that doesn't mean that every voter voted for him. Peter King, a former reporter who is highly-respected throughout the league, recently admitted that he did not vote for Polamalu. He was on the Between The Tackles podcast, and he shared that he opted to vote for the older players, which is now prudent because of what recently happened with Bill Belichick.

"I used similar rationale, which I came to regret," King said. "I know it’s wrong. I was wrong in 2020 when I didn’t vote for Polamalu. What you’re doing is taking the law into your own hands. It’s not what our charge is. If you're on the Hall of Fame committee, you have to abide by the bylaws of the Hall of Fame. And the bylaws say that you have to vote for who you think is most deserving."

King felt as though Polamalu was going to get in regardless of what he did, so he voted for the players he thought might have been closer to not making the cut. This is an interesting strategy, and it is one that is seen in addition to voters voting for the older candidates over the younger guys, regardless of the resumes. That is why Belichick didn't get in, and the same thing could have happened to Polamalu. This move is technically a violation of the bylaws, which should strip one's right to vote.

Belichick is one of the most qualified coaches in the history of the league when it comes to being voted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. There is no reason he should not be in. He won six Super Bowls as a head coach and eight total, there is no arguing with that type of success. It is hard to pinpoint why certain voters would not have voted him in, but it is something that the Pro Football Hall of Fame has already come out and said it will be looking into.

There has been some speculation that voters didn't feel comfortable voting Belichick in due to the cheating allegations from when he was with the New England Patriots. Bill Polian was said to bring that fact up during voting, which he has since denied.

Steelers Great Partially Responsible For Bill Belichick Not Making The Cut

LC Greenwood was also a finalist in the same category as Belichick for the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Only a certain amount of guys can get in each year, and at least one voter has come out and said that he prioritized voting for the older candidates, like Greenwood, over Belichick. Greenwood unfortunately passed away back in 2013, but that doesn't change the fact that he deserves to get in. 

This is a flaw in the Pro Football Hall of Fame's voting system. There should not be limited spots. Each candidate should be voted upon individually, and they should get in or get denied based on their resume alone, not what the outcomes of any other voting procedures were.

What do you think about King's admission? Let us know in the comments below!

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