Bill Polian tells ESPN he can’t recall “with 100 percent certainty” whether he voted for Belichick

Former Bill Belichick nemesis Bill Polian voted for Belichick to make it to the Hall of Fame. Unless he didn’t.

After telling Matt Verderame of SI.com that the Hall of Fame G.M. and Hall of Fame voter cast a ballot for Belichick, Polian tells ESPN.com that he doesn’t remember “with 100 percent certainty” whether he voted for Belichick. Polian said he was “95 percent sure” he voted for Belichick.

All due respect, how could anyone forget such a significant vote? It sounds like a safe harbor for Polian, in the event the Hall of Fame decides to release the votes (they should) or someone who knows the contents of Polian’s ballots tells someone like Pablo Torre that, no, Polian didn’t vote for Belichick.

Beyond Polian’s vote, he denied telling other voters that Belichick should wait a year, due to the original Spygate scandal. Polian told ESPN.com that he heard a couple of other voters “float that idea,” but that Polian neither agreed nor disagreed with that idea.

“I was shocked to learn Bill didn’t get in,” Polian said. “He deserves to be in the Hall of Fame.”

If that’s the case, how does Polian not recall with 100 percent certainty that he voted for Belichick?

This is why the votes should be disclosed. And if the voters aren’t comfortable with transparency, they should step aside for someone who is willing to put their name on their votes.

Here’s hoping that all 50 voters will disclose whether they did or didn’t vote for Belichick. Hopefully with 100 percent certainty.