Ever since the shocking news dropped that former New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick was not going to be a first-ballot Pro Football Hall of Fame selection, fans have been wondering just how close Belichick came to making it into the 2026 class. The answer may have just been revealed, and the heartbreaking part is that he was as close as possible to making it.

There are 50 voters who determined who would advance in the voting, and 80 percent of the vote was required. This means Belichick needed 40 votes. In a recent column from Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, it was disclosed that a published report indicated that Belichick received 39.

This means that Belichick was just one vote away from achieving what many feel like is a well-deserved honor for Belichick, who was an NFL head coach for 29 seasons, winning six Super Bowl rings, making 19 NFL playoff appearances, and earning AP NFL Head Coach of the Year honors three times.

Several prominent figures, both inside and outside the NFL, have expressed their displeasure with how the voting played out, from Belichick’s former starting quarterback, Tom Brady, to the current U.S. President, Donald Trump. But with the votes now final, Belichick and all of those fans who hope to see him in the Hall of Fame must wait at least one more year.

This article originally appeared on Touchdown Wire: The heartbreaking truth on how close Bill Belichick was to HOF