Random Thoughts w/EB and guest – Duane Coute on the NFL Hall of Fame debacle, The MLB Hall of Fame Debacle and more!
By Eric Berry

NFL – What a shame!
There are plenty of non–New England Patriots fans who claim to be exhausted by yet another Super Bowl appearance. I am not one of them. In fact, I rooted vigorously—and unapologetically—for Sean Payton and the Denver Broncos to fail. Payton’s reputation for self-importance has long outpaced his actual achievements, and watching his calculated bravado collapse on the sport’s biggest stage was oddly satisfying.
Anyone who has followed my recent commentary knows I have little patience for Payton’s smug brand of coaching theater. His ill-fated fourth-down gamble was a perfect encapsulation of what has gone wrong with modern NFL decision-making. The league’s current infatuation with “going for it” has shifted from data-driven analysis to competitive vanity. There is a time for aggression, to be sure—but too many coaches now behave like blackjack players who insist on hitting seventeen while the dealer shows a six. It isn’t bold. It’s negligent.

Dan Campbell’s Detroit Lions provide a textbook example. Detroit didn’t miss the Super Bowl because of talent deficiencies; they missed it because Campbell repeatedly confused stubbornness for courage. Two years ago, a simple first-half field goal would have kept them within striking distance of a championship opportunity. Instead, Campbell chased headlines and was rewarded with praise for his “fearlessness.” In truth, it was poor situational awareness disguised as machismo. Somewhere, Tom Landry is spinning in his grave, wondering when NFL coaches decided that taking guaranteed points was an outdated concept. Points are still the object of the game. Always have been.
If the league’s strategic direction is troubling, the Hall of Fame’s credibility crisis is downright alarming. Bill Belichick not being elected on the first ballot is indefensible. One can argue—incorrectly—that his six Super Bowl titles were the byproduct of Tom Brady, the greatest winning quarterback of all time. But even under that flawed premise, Belichick was the architect of those dynasties.

The Patriots’ defenses were not accidental. Ten of Brady’s fifteen seasons featured top-ten defensive units, all under Belichick’s direct control. This is the same defensive mind who unleashed Lawrence Taylor on the NFL and helped deliver two championships to the Giants. In total, Belichick has been instrumental in eight Super Bowl titles. Eight. That is not debate material—it is historical fact.

Which raises an obvious question: why can’t the Hall of Fame simply admit it got this wrong? The system is flawed. Everyone knows it. Fewer than five percent of knowledgeable observers would object to a correction—and even fewer would be worth listening to. Institutions maintain credibility by acknowledging mistakes, not entrenching them.
And if it is true that Robert Kraft played a role in ensuring Brady and Belichick did not appear on the same ballot, then that interference should be treated as a serious ethical breach. The Hall exists to honor football greatness, not to accommodate personal egos or legacy management.

The league’s coaches have lost sight of common sense, and its most sacred institution has lost its backbone. Neither trend bodes well for a sport that once prided itself on clarity, accountability, and earned respect.
Below is a blog from my friend about the MLB Hall of Fame and NFL Hall of Fame to add to my thoughts; and I agree with everything he writes about it. An excellent piece of writing!

The Cooperstown Hypocrisy: Why Fans are the True Losers of the Steroid Era – Duane Coute
Every January, the gates of Cooperstown swing open to welcome baseball’s immortals. Yet, for more than a decade, a heavy shadow has loomed over the ceremony. We find ourselves trapped in a circular, exhausting debate: do we honor the greatest statistical performers in the history of the game, or do we continue to bar the “Steroid Era” icons as penance for a period of collective dishonesty? While voters play the role of morality police—keeping titans like Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, Alex Rodriguez, and Manny Ramirez in a state of permanent purgatory—there is a glaring, bitter irony that baseball fans can no longer ignore.

The “character clause” used to disqualify these players seems to apply only to those who wore the jersey, never to those who wore the suits. It is an insult to the intelligence of the American baseball fan that the very man who presided over the explosion of performance-enhancing drugs—former Commissioner Bud Selig—has already been ushered into the Hall of Fame with a plaque of his own.

Under Selig’s watch, Major League Baseball didn’t just stumble into the steroid era; it feasted upon it. Following the devastating 1994 strike that left the sport on life support, the league leaned into the towering home runs and “superhuman” feats to win back a disillusioned public. They marketed the muscle, sold the records, and cashed the checks, all while turning a blind eye to the chemical assistance fueling the recovery. To now blame the players alone for a culture created and condoned by the commissioner’s office is more than just unfair—it’s debunking history. For the fans, the frustration isn’t just about who is or isn’t in a museum; it’s the realization that the game’s leaders were happy to profit from the “juice” when it saved their bottom line, only to demand moral purity when it came time to hand out the honors.

There is a hollow chill in the air at 25 Main Street. While the National Baseball Hall of Fame remains the sport’s most hallowed ground, its bronze plaques are beginning to feel less like a complete history and more like a curated brochure. By blackballing the titans of the 1990s, the gatekeepers of the game aren’t protecting the “sanctity” of baseball; they are committing a slow-motion heist of its legacy along with bestowing the HOF honor to players that are not deserving and do not have the statistical background worthy of being included.

To understand the travesty of their exclusion, one must remember the state of the game in 1994. Baseball wasn’t just struggling; it was flatlining. The disastrous players’ strike had canceled the World Series, leaving fans disillusioned and stadiums empty. The “National Pastime” was being passed by, viewed as a relic of a slower, grayer era. Then came the “shot in the arm.” The 1990s didn’t just save baseball; they resurrected it with a roar. The 1998 Home Run Race between Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa wasn’t just a sports story—it was a national healing ritual. We watched, transfixed, as these Goliaths traded haymakers across the summer sky, shattering Roger Maris’s “untouchable” record of 61. For the first time in a generation, every child in America had a bat in their hand and their eyes on the box scores.
The argument for their exclusion rests on the character clause, a nebulous moral yardstick used to punish players for a “Steroid Era” that was not a secret clique but rather the very ecosystem of the game. Owners, commissioners, and the very writers now acting as morality police turned a blind eye while the home runs flew and the revenue soared. If performance-enhancing drugs were the fuel of the decade, then the entire league was driving the car.

Consider the sheer, raw talent that is being erased. Barry Bonds is the only member of the 500-home run/500-steal club. He was a Hall of Famer before he ever touched a supplement. Roger Clemens has seven Cy Young Awards. Manny Ramirez was quite possibly one of the greatest and clutch right-handed hitters of his generation. These aren’t just “good” players; they are the architectural pillars of modern baseball history. If the Hall of Fame’s mission is truly to “preserve history,” how can it justify leaving out the men who defined it? You cannot tell the story of the 1920s without the Babe, and you cannot tell the story of the 1990s without Bonds. To exclude them is to tell a lie by omission.
The hypocrisy is staggering when you consider that the Hall already houses racists, gamblers, and “spitballers” who doctored the ball for decades. Even the legendary Hank Aaron admitted to using amphetamines—the “greenies” that were the PEDs of the 1960s and 70s. Why is the line drawn so rigidly in the 1990s?

By keeping these players out, the Baseball Writers’ Association of America (BBWAA) is effectively saying that a whole generation of fans’ memories are invalid. It’s time to stop the grandstanding. Put the “Steroid Era” in a dedicated wing if you must. Add a disclaimer to their plaques if it eases the conscience of the voters. But to keep the greatest players to ever lace up cleats out of the Hall is an insult to history. These men saved baseball when it was on its deathbed. Immortalize them not because they were perfect, but because they were the giants whose shoulders the modern game now stands upon.

I would love to hear anyone’s feedback or comments. Are you frustrated as much as I am or do you agree with how the Steroid Era has been handled by the HOF and the BWAA? This article has been in my mind for years and I have finally got around to putting pen to paper with my thoughts especially after Pete Rose passed.

THE CANTON COVER-UP: Why the Greatest Coach of All Time is Being Held Hostage by the Pencil-Pushers
In a decision that reeks of personal vendetta, small-market bitterness, and a shocking lack of historical perspective, the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s selection committee has done the unthinkable. Bill Belichick—the architect of the greatest dynasty in the history of professional football, a man with eight Super Bowl rings (six as a head coach) and more playoff wins (31) than most franchises have in their entire existence—has been denied his rightful place as a first-ballot Hall of Famer.

Let that sink in. The man who defined the 21st-century NFL, the mastermind who specialized in incredible defensive schemes and teams that just kept winning, has been snubbed by a group of representatives from pro football cities, at-large members, and the Pro Football Writers of America. It is a travesty that mirrors the lack of consideration for Pete Rose and his unbelievable accomplishments to Major League Baseball, not even a glimmer of hope for Shoeless Joe Jackson or the current state of college football, where we are forced to decipher the meaning of irrelevant bowl games instead of spearheading the most epic playoff matchups of all time.

The message from the voters is clear: personal feelings and “outside noise” matter more than the statistics and the history of the game. But as fans, we demand transparency. We don’t want the “bullshit spin.” We want to see those ballots.

The Moral Hypocrisy of Canton
The primary excuse leaked from the committee’s “secret” meetings is that Belichick’s career is somehow “sullied” by alleged scandals like Spygate or Deflategate. This moral high grounding would be laughable if it weren’t so damaging to the sport’s legacy. Maybe you were in the press room after a game and asked a question and Bill’s answer to you was…” We are on to Kansas City.” Oh boy… you didn’t like his answer or his demeanor towards you and that has affected your vote? You in my mind should be removed forever for casting another vote. For your decision making and lack of high moral ground towards the game and the game’s greatest coach of ALL TIME is personal. “Ultimately, the Hall of Fame exists to honor the history of the game and preserve the legacies of its greats for generations to come.” “Let’s look closer at the individuals who left an indelible mark on the game, their families, and their communities. If these legends stumble in their personal or professional lives, should those flaws outweigh a lifetime of professional achievement? Are we really prepared to bar them for their human failings despite their greatness on the field?”
If the Hall of Fame is intended to be a cathedral of “character” rather than “impact,” then the committee has a lot of explaining to do regarding the busts already residing in Ohio. Let’s look at the “backgrounds” of some current members:

Lawrence Taylor: Battled well-documented addictions to crack cocaine.

Carl Eller: Admitted to heavy cocaine use during his career.
Brett Favre: Currently embroiled in a massive welfare fraud scandal in Mississippi.
Richard Dent and Jim McMahon: Sued the league, alleging they were supplied with illegal, risky drugs to keep them on the field.

Terrell Davis: Was once famously handcuffed and removed from a flight.
Are we to believe that a video camera on a sideline or a slightly under-inflated football is a greater sin than drug trafficking, welfare fraud, or systemic substance abuse? The Hall is filled with men who were flawed human beings but legendary players. To suddenly change the criteria for the greatest coach to ever blow a whistle is the height of hypocrisy.

A Broken System in Need of “New Blood”
The Belichick snub proves that the voting process similar to the MLB Hall of Fame voters is fundamentally broken. Currently, appointments to the selection committee are largely open-ended. We are seeing a “math problem” created by a convoluted system that pits past coaches and players against contributors and senior members in the same voting pool.

It is time for a radical overhaul:
Term Limits: No voter should serve more than 15 years. We need “new blood” year over year that understands the modern game and isn’t bogged down by decade-old personal grudges.
The “Legacy 5/10”: To maintain the “nostalgic history” of the game, we should keep a minimum of five and/or a maximum of ten veteran voters on the panel to provide context and history. The rest should be cycled out to ensure fresh perspectives.

The “Belichick Block”: The Hall should be barred from inducting any other coach, owner, executive and/or contributor until this situation is reversed and revised. If the best isn’t in, the doors should be closed to everyone else.

The Demand for Transparency
To the voters hiding behind your pencils and your computer screens: Come clean. We know what will happen next. A dozen of you will go on your local radio shows or podcasts and claim, “Oh, I voted for Bill! I’ve always supported him!” We don’t believe you. The math doesn’t lie. At least 11 of the 50 voters turned their backs on history. Stop hiding. If you truly believe that six Super Bowls “aren’t enough,” have the courage to put your name next to that opinion so the fans can see who is responsible for this embarrassment.

The global community of football fans wants what is right. We want the statistics. We want history. We want the truth. Bill Belichick changed the way football is played, how he prepared for each game and won. To deny him first-ballot entry is to deny the very reality of the sport for the last 25 years.

A Call for a Revote
The Hall of Fame is not a private club for disgruntled journalists to settle scores; it is a museum of excellence. By keeping Belichick out, the committee hasn’t punished the coach—they’ve punished the loyal fans of the NFL and the next generation of players and fans who deserve to understand the history of the game.

Do the right thing. Admit the voting process was flawed. Admitting the “Spygate” obsession is a personal vendetta masquerading as integrity. Have a revote, and put the greatest of all time where he belongs.

The opinions expressed by EB are solely his and do not reflect those of NSN. If you’d like to reach out to EB, please contact him at eberry@nsnsports.net. You can read all of Eric’s blogs at www.nsnsports.net.