Ex-Patriots Legend Defends Spygate Allegations in Brutal Rant Amid Bill Belichick’s HOF Snub

Willie McGinest is the latest Patriot to call out the HOF voters for stopping Bill Belichick from becoming a first ballot HOF.

Ex-Patriots Legend Defends Spygate Allegations in Brutal Rant Amid Bill Belichick’s HOF Snub

Bill Belichick and Willie McGinest inside the circle (Image via IMAGO/X)

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Spygate is one scandal that refuses to die. The two-decade-old story made its way back to the front pages of every outlet after Bill Belichick was passed over for first-ballot Hall of Fame honors.

Retired NFL linebacker Willie McGinest was on the New England Patriots when the Spygate scandal first came to public attention. The three-time Super Bowl champion dismissed the notion that spying on other teams gave the Patriots any advantage.

Let me start with this Spygate sh**. If we knew your signals, and we knew your plays, we would’ve won eight f*** Super Bowls. I won three… Went to four, won three. They won six. We would’ve won eight to 10. [As a] matter of fact, we would not have lost a game.

McGinest said in a video shared by the “All The Smoke” podcast

Willie McGinest pushes the narrative of Bill Belichick being the “fall guy”

McGinest played for 15 years for the New England franchise before moving to Cleveland in the twilight of his career. He received two Pro Bowl nods and was inducted into the Patriots team of the decades (1990 and 2000). The Patriots gave him the highest honor in 2015 by including his name in the franchise Hall of Fame.

Ex Patriots Legend Defends Spygate Allegations in Brutal Rant Amid Bill Belichicks HOF Snub 2

Despite retiring in 2008, McGinest remains loyal to the Patriots and his former head coach, Bill Belichick. He pointed fingers at the members of the Pro Football Hall of Fame who didn’t vote for Belichick.

Are you mad because his teams are smarter than your teams? And we can adjust? And we were prepared for anything you did? Are you upset about that?

McGinest questioned

One name that spread faster than a Los Angeles wildfire was Bill Poilan’s. The Super Bowl champion who served as General Manager for multiple franchises, including the Patriots’ biggest rivals, the Indianapolis Colts (during the Spygate era), allegedly was among the ten people who voted against Belichick’s first-ballot Hall of Fame induction.

McGinest believes that making Belichick the “fall guy” only highlights the bitterness they feel toward the 73-year-old coach. If the Patriots had won their first ring by stealing signs, then by that logic, they shouldn’t have gone on to win five more after the NFL implemented strict policies.

Somebody told on somebody who told on somebody who told the league. So everybody had to stop doing it. Yeah, Bill took the fall. Did he stop winning games? I don’t think so.

McGinest quipped

Polian faced criticism from all sides after changing his statement about voting for Belichick a couple of times. At first, the 83-year-old said Belichick was on his three-man shortlist. Later, he mentioned he was 95% sure.

Speaking on the SiriusXM podcast, Polian reverted back to his original stance. Naturally, a large part of the football world became suspicious of his credibility.

After the backlash, Polian’s son came to his father’s defense. Brian Polian tweeted,

My father is a public figure and polarizing. I understand and accept that. However, what has happened over the last couple of days is not right. The facts and the truth are important.

Regardless of the current state of affairs, Belichick is HOF. As current Patriots HC and Belichick’s disciple, Mike Vrabel stated, “I’m sure Bill will get in.” Belichick is one of the winningest coaches (302 wins) of all time. It’s only a matter of time before a bust of Jordan Hudson’s boyfriend is put up in Canton.

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