Adam Vinatieri poked fun at Bill Belichick in Hall of Fame speech
· Yahoo Sports
Former New England Patriots kicker Adam Vinatieri was enshrined into the Pro Football Hall of Fame on Saturday afternoon, joining a star-studded 2026 class.
Vinatieri finally got the call to the hall, earning it after a successful career in the NFL. A lot of his time was spent in New England, where he was a part of three Super Bowl teams under head coach Bill Belichick. He was a key piece to those teams and had the game-winning kick in Super Bowl XXXVI.
Visit michezonews.co.za for more information.
During his speech, Vinatieri thanked countless coaches and players throughout his career. When he got to Belichick, he started with praise but then poked fun at his former head coach through a joke.
"I thought it was because training camp had already started," Vinatieri said about Belichick's absence, "but in truth it's because he is judging his girlfriend's cheerleading competition."
After that, he did state that he believes Belichick is the greatest coach of all time. You can watch the portion of the speech here:
Adam Vinatieri called out Bill Belichick for not attending his HOF introduction ceremony
— Barstool Sports (@barstoolsports) August 8, 2026
“Unfortunately, Bill Couldn’t BE Here Right Now… It’s Because He’s Judging His Girlfriend’s Cheerleading Competition” pic.twitter.com/xIN9VnbaPY
The former kicker also poked fun at quarterbacks Tom Brady and Peyton Manning, whom he played with in his career.
It's all in good fun, but we have to feel like Belichick still is upset about not being enshrined with this class as a first-ballot hall of famer. And that's why he didn't make the trip.
Follow us @TarHeelsWire on X and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of North Carolina Tar Heels news, notes and opinions.
This article originally appeared on Tar Heels Wire: Adam Vinatieri poked fun at Bill Belichick in Hall of Fame speech