Tony Dungy has refused to reveal his ballot thus far in the wake of Bill Belichick missing out on the Pro Football Hall of Fame, but another colleague has lashed out at him
14:40 ET, 11 Feb 2026Updated 14:40 ET, 11 Feb 2026
Tony Dungy has been criticized for not revealing whether he voted for Bill Belichick or not
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Tony Dungy has been criticized for not revealing whether he voted for Bill Belichick or not(Image: Getty Images)
ESPN’s Michael Kay called for Tony Dungy to get fired by NBC after the former head coach refused to reveal whether he voted for Bill Belichick to get into the Hall of Fame.
Late last month, Belichick failed to receive the 40 of 50 votes needed to be inducted into the Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility. News of the NFL legend’s notable snub swiftly sent shockwaves across the football world, with Brady rushing to the defense of his longtime coach.
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Ultimately, Belichick achieved no shortage of success during his 24-season tenure as Patriots head coach. From 2000-2023, he amassed an NFL-record six Super Bowl titles, nine conference championships, 31 playoff wins and a sparkling 333-178 record — marking the second-most wins in NFL history.
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His failure to become a first-ballot Hall of Famer has sparked a widespread debate over the process and the legitimacy of the voters. Dungy was one of the 50 voters this year, but he has declined to reveal his ballot on several occasions.
Dungy appeared on the NBC Super Bowl pregame show in San Francisco, and he declined to reveal his ballot once again. Kay immediately took to social media to express his disgust with the stance.
“Tony Dungy, who’s getting paid by NBC, was asked on the never-ending pregame show whether or not he voted for Bill Belichick,” Kay said after the Super Bowl. “He said he’s not going to discuss it.
“First of all, if I’m NBC, I fire him on the spot. We’re paying you whatever amount of money we’re paying you; you’re discussing it. What’s your value to us if you’re making news and you’re not discussing it with us?”
The ballot included names such as Belichick, Robert Kraft, Ken Anderson, Roger Craig, and L.C. Greenwood. Belichick needed at least 40 of the 50 votes to earn first-ballot induction, with voters expected to select three Hall of Famers.
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Bill Belichick
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Bill Belichick missed out on a place in the Pro Football Hall of Fame as a member of the Class of 2026(Image: Getty Images)
On the pregame show, when asked directly whether he voted for Belichick, Dungy explained: “I’m not going to disclose it. When you come on the committee, you take an oath that you’re not going to discuss any of the debates, anything that happened there. I’m not going to put any of my teammates under the bus who they voted for, who I voted for.”
Despite Dungy’s sentiment, the Pro Football Hall of Fame does not actually prohibit voters from revealing their votes. There’s also no requirement to disclose them, though, which means Dungy is within his rights to remain silent on the matter.
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Kay’s frustration comes after Rodney Harrison took aim at Dungy. He didn’t hold back during the pregame show, insisting voters clearly made the wrong decision.
“Any list that doesn’t include Bill Belichick at the top is absolutely wrong,” Harrison told Dungy. “…I’ve seen him design defenses to stop your offense. You just look at the players that he’s impacted; he’s been unbelievable.
“When I look throughout the Hall of Fame and even a guy like Tom Brady: Tom Brady wouldn’t be Tom Brady without Bill Belichick. That’s the disappointing part of it, Coach. You guys got it wrong.”