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Bill Belichick’s Hall of Fame Snub Sets a Dangerous Precedent | Deadspin.com

Bill Belichick’s Hall of Fame Snub Sets a Dangerous Precedent | Deadspin.com

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The football world stood still for a moment on Tuesday when the news trickled out that legendary NFL coach Bill Belichick didn’t receive enough votes to be a first ballot Pro Football Hall of Famer.

Believe it or not, prior to coaching in the ACC and dating a much younger and controversial maiden, Belichick is one of the sport’s most accomplished coaches.

Belichick’s 333 total wins in the NFL is the second-greatest mark of all time behind the legendary Don Shula, who won 14 more games. Belichick has won 31 postseason games, which is the NFL record. His six Super Bowls speak to the dominant tenure he had in the NFL.

Over the recent years, football fans have debated if Belichick or superstar quarterback Tom Brady deserves more credit for all of those titles. After all, Belichick’s New England Patriots floundered while Brady was bringing titles to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Brady put an end to any speculation about their relationship, standing up for his head coach on the radio one day after Belichick’s historic snub.

“I don’t understand it,” Brady said. “If he’s not a first ballot hall of famer then there’s really no coach who should ever be a first ballot hall of famer.”

Brady brings up a good point. If Belichick isn’t on the first ballot… what coach will be?

In some ugly corners of the football internet, sportswriters hypothesized that Belichick’s repeated cheating scandals could be the reason why he will not be inducted right away. Really?

A few rogue camcorders at practice? A few footballs that were a bit deflated?

Listen, I’m not necessarily a Belichick fan or a fan of the Patriots whatsoever. But does the punishment really fit the crime to exclude one of the greatest coaches ever over a few minor scandals that were blown out of proportion because of how dominant New England was during that generation?

Cheating is never cool. But even without a few stray cameramen or deflated footballs, the Patriots dynasty still would have happened. Love him or hate him, Belichick was the leader of the organization for one of the most dominant stretches of football that the AFC has ever seen.

With all of those postseason victories and Super Bowl rings, Belichick’s snub will make it harder for the coaches that have followed him to be inducted into the Hall of Fame right away.

Just a few weeks ago, legendary Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin stepped down from his position. There’s no way he can be first ballot if Belichick wasn’t — even though he has a compelling case. Whenever Andy Reid decides to walk away from coaching the Kansas City Chiefs, he won’t be able to enter Canton right away either, by the benchmark that he hadn’t won more postseason games or Super Bowls than Belichick.

Maybe the voters were trying to make a point about an individual who bent the rules during his time in the NFL. Perhaps all of the negative media attention surrounding Belichick’s personal relationship and struggles in college football have clouded his legacy.

But he’s one of the greatest coaches ever. Because of this precedent, it’ll be hard to induct any other coach right away.

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Aaron Rodgers announced on Wednesday that this season will be his final year in the NFL.

Rodgers, who turns 43 in December, just inked a one-year deal with the Pittsburgh Steelers, who are wandering the quarterback desert without a true long-term plan.

And that’s only part of what makes Rodgers’ retirement announcement feel somewhat unlikely. He’s entering his 22nd season in the NFL, meaning that he’s been in the league half as long as he’s been alive.

A retirement announcement seems expected. He’s going to be 43, he’s played for two decades and has made over $400 million in NFL contracts and bonuses. But Rodgers feasts on attention. Over the last few seasons, his free agency decisions have been long, drawn out processes. But the NFL gives Rodgers that attention that he might not be able to find elsewhere.

There’s nothing left for Rodgers to accomplish on the field. He’s one of the all-time greats, especially in this generation of quarterbacks. But off the field, stepping away from being an NFL player will dim some of the limelight that Rodgers seemingly desperately craves.

Of course, he could become a television analyst or podcast personality. He’s already had standing segments on the “Pat McAfee Show” that received tremendous ratings. But they delivered big ratings because Rodgers was an active player who wasn’t shy about voicing his hesitations about conspiracy theories including his hesitancy to accept the COVID-19 vaccination to play in the NFL.

Without the status of an active NFL player, Rodgers’ whole shtick turns into just another random ex-athlete with bizarre takes and beliefs. There are plenty of other ex-athletes doing this already. Rodgers being an active player is what made his schtick so unique.

There’s been no shortage of controversies surrounding Rodgers over the last few seasons. At one point, he was a mysterious figure that had a falling out with his parents. In recent years, we’ve seen him show dishonesty to the media surrounding his COVID-19 vaccination status and yearly threats to retire from the NFL in order to host “Jeopardy!”.

The league will have a void without Rodgers in it. Love him or hate him, he’s a polarizing figure that won’t be the same once he retires, even if he maintains an active voice in football conversation. The NFL has plenty of weird players, and even a few weird quarterbacks, but none of them have the allure and intrigue that Rodgers was able to manufacture over the last two decades.

Maybe the retirement announcement was another exaggeration. This time next year, maybe he’s signing another one-year contract with a Pittsburgh team stuck in neutral. But if it is the end, what a crazy ride it has been.

#Aaron #Rodgers #Retiring #Walk #Deadspin.com">Aaron Rodgers Is Retiring, But Will He Actually Walk Away? | Deadspin.com Aaron Rodgers announced on Wednesday that this season will be his final year in the NFL.Rodgers, who turns 43 in December, just inked a one-year deal with the Pittsburgh Steelers, who are wandering the quarterback desert without a true long-term plan.And that’s only part of what makes Rodgers’ retirement announcement feel somewhat unlikely. He’s entering his 22nd season in the NFL, meaning that he’s been in the league half as long as he’s been alive.A retirement announcement seems expected. He’s going to be 43, he’s played for two decades and has made over 0 million in NFL contracts and bonuses. But Rodgers feasts on attention. Over the last few seasons, his free agency decisions have been long, drawn out processes. But the NFL gives Rodgers that attention that he might not be able to find elsewhere.There’s nothing left for Rodgers to accomplish on the field. He’s one of the all-time greats, especially in this generation of quarterbacks. But off the field, stepping away from being an NFL player will dim some of the limelight that Rodgers seemingly desperately craves.Of course, he could become a television analyst or podcast personality. He’s already had standing segments on the “Pat McAfee Show” that received tremendous ratings. But they delivered big ratings because Rodgers was an active player who wasn’t shy about voicing his hesitations about conspiracy theories including his hesitancy to accept the COVID-19 vaccination to play in the NFL.Without the status of an active NFL player, Rodgers’ whole shtick turns into just another random ex-athlete with bizarre takes and beliefs. There are plenty of other ex-athletes doing this already. Rodgers being an active player is what made his schtick so unique.There’s been no shortage of controversies surrounding Rodgers over the last few seasons. At one point, he was a mysterious figure that had a falling out with his parents. In recent years, we’ve seen him show dishonesty to the media surrounding his COVID-19 vaccination status and yearly threats to retire from the NFL in order to host “Jeopardy!”.The league will have a void without Rodgers in it. Love him or hate him, he’s a polarizing figure that won’t be the same once he retires, even if he maintains an active voice in football conversation. The NFL has plenty of weird players, and even a few weird quarterbacks, but none of them have the allure and intrigue that Rodgers was able to manufacture over the last two decades.Maybe the retirement announcement was another exaggeration. This time next year, maybe he’s signing another one-year contract with a Pittsburgh team stuck in neutral. But if it is the end, what a crazy ride it has been. #Aaron #Rodgers #Retiring #Walk #Deadspin.com

received tremendous ratings. But they delivered big ratings because Rodgers was an active player who wasn’t shy about voicing his hesitations about conspiracy theories including his hesitancy to accept the COVID-19 vaccination to play in the NFL.

Without the status of an active NFL player, Rodgers’ whole shtick turns into just another random ex-athlete with bizarre takes and beliefs. There are plenty of other ex-athletes doing this already. Rodgers being an active player is what made his schtick so unique.

There’s been no shortage of controversies surrounding Rodgers over the last few seasons. At one point, he was a mysterious figure that had a falling out with his parents. In recent years, we’ve seen him show dishonesty to the media surrounding his COVID-19 vaccination status and yearly threats to retire from the NFL in order to host “Jeopardy!”.

The league will have a void without Rodgers in it. Love him or hate him, he’s a polarizing figure that won’t be the same once he retires, even if he maintains an active voice in football conversation. The NFL has plenty of weird players, and even a few weird quarterbacks, but none of them have the allure and intrigue that Rodgers was able to manufacture over the last two decades.

Maybe the retirement announcement was another exaggeration. This time next year, maybe he’s signing another one-year contract with a Pittsburgh team stuck in neutral. But if it is the end, what a crazy ride it has been.

#Aaron #Rodgers #Retiring #Walk #Deadspin.com">Aaron Rodgers Is Retiring, But Will He Actually Walk Away? | Deadspin.com

Aaron Rodgers announced on Wednesday that this season will be his final year in the NFL.

Rodgers, who turns 43 in December, just inked a one-year deal with the Pittsburgh Steelers, who are wandering the quarterback desert without a true long-term plan.

And that’s only part of what makes Rodgers’ retirement announcement feel somewhat unlikely. He’s entering his 22nd season in the NFL, meaning that he’s been in the league half as long as he’s been alive.

A retirement announcement seems expected. He’s going to be 43, he’s played for two decades and has made over $400 million in NFL contracts and bonuses. But Rodgers feasts on attention. Over the last few seasons, his free agency decisions have been long, drawn out processes. But the NFL gives Rodgers that attention that he might not be able to find elsewhere.

There’s nothing left for Rodgers to accomplish on the field. He’s one of the all-time greats, especially in this generation of quarterbacks. But off the field, stepping away from being an NFL player will dim some of the limelight that Rodgers seemingly desperately craves.

Of course, he could become a television analyst or podcast personality. He’s already had standing segments on the “Pat McAfee Show” that received tremendous ratings. But they delivered big ratings because Rodgers was an active player who wasn’t shy about voicing his hesitations about conspiracy theories including his hesitancy to accept the COVID-19 vaccination to play in the NFL.

Without the status of an active NFL player, Rodgers’ whole shtick turns into just another random ex-athlete with bizarre takes and beliefs. There are plenty of other ex-athletes doing this already. Rodgers being an active player is what made his schtick so unique.

There’s been no shortage of controversies surrounding Rodgers over the last few seasons. At one point, he was a mysterious figure that had a falling out with his parents. In recent years, we’ve seen him show dishonesty to the media surrounding his COVID-19 vaccination status and yearly threats to retire from the NFL in order to host “Jeopardy!”.

The league will have a void without Rodgers in it. Love him or hate him, he’s a polarizing figure that won’t be the same once he retires, even if he maintains an active voice in football conversation. The NFL has plenty of weird players, and even a few weird quarterbacks, but none of them have the allure and intrigue that Rodgers was able to manufacture over the last two decades.

Maybe the retirement announcement was another exaggeration. This time next year, maybe he’s signing another one-year contract with a Pittsburgh team stuck in neutral. But if it is the end, what a crazy ride it has been.

#Aaron #Rodgers #Retiring #Walk #Deadspin.com
#WNBA #players #waived #week #doesnt">3 WNBA players were waived this week, but it doesn’t mean that’s the end There are more roster spots in the WNBA than ever before — more than 200, to be exact.That’s in large part due to league expansion; with the addition of the Portland Fire and Toronto Tempo this season, the league has a record 15 teams. And, alongside 12 standard roster spots, each team has two developmental player slots, as agreed upon in the latest CBA.Still, with an influx of overseas talent coming to the WNBA in addition to droves of elite college players, holding on to a roster spot remains difficult for those who are on the fringe. As such, even two weeks into the season, good players are getting waived every day.Since Monday, three players have been waived: Grace Vanslooten by the Seattle Storm, Ashten Prechtel by the Golden State Valkyries, and Aubrey Griffin by the New York Liberty. Vanslooter was a 2026 third-round pick after a standout career at Notre Dame. Prechtel was a 2023 third-round pick who won an NCAA championship with Stanford. And, Griffin was selected in the third round of the 2025 draft out of UConn.Before those three cuts, the Phoenix Mercury waived Anneli Maley and Peyton Williams, the Connecticut Sun waived Shey Peddy, and the Portland Fire waived Jordan Harrison.Sometimes, these cuts are expected: players signed hardship contracts in the wake of injuries and knew that their tenures would likely be temporary. Other times, cuts seemingly come out of left field; Kate Martin, who was waived by the Valkyries after training camp (and after being a rotation player for the team last season) is an example.And, getting cut isn’t always a death sentence. There’s a long list of players who were waived by a WNBA team, only to eventually blossom elsewhere. That list includes Veronica Burton, who was waived by the Dallas Wings two years ago before becoming an elite two-way point guard for the Valkyries last season. It also includes veteran players like Erica Wheeler and Alysha Clark, who were cut early in their careers. That didn’t stop either: Wheeler has played 11 seasons, and Clark has played 14. Both are some of the league’s most established vets.Players who get cut might look to go overseas in the meantime, or they might try to find a home elsewhere (Hailey Van Lith was recently cut by the Chicago Sky, and immediately joined the Connecticut Sun).For some, it’s the end of the road. For others, it’s just the beginning. #WNBA #players #waived #week #doesnt

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