Claiming Bill Belichick doesn’t belong in the Hall of Fame wasn’t a hot enough take for Rob Parker. So he sought to snub Tom Brady next.
As most media members were rushing to defend Belichick after the six-time Super Bowl-winning head coach was denied entry into the Hall of Fame on his first ballot, Rob Parker was one of the contrarians who supported the snub. According to Parker, Belichick doesn’t deserve to be in Canton because of Spygate and Deflategate. And while joining The Stephen A. Smith Show on Wednesday afternoon to defend his position, Parker took it a step further.
“Where is the punishment? Shouldn’t there be some integrity, honesty in the Hall of Fame?” Parker asked. “I think it goes hand in hand. Pete Rose is not in the Hall of Fame, Barry Bonds is not in the Hall of Fame, Roger Clemens is not in the Hall of Fame. Bill Belichick and Tom Brady should not be in the Hall of Fame either.”
If there were at least 11 voters who didn’t want to put Belichick in the Hall of Fame because of a cheating scandal, it’s reasonable to wonder whether they might do the same to Brady. The difference, however, is that Brady never built as many enemies in the NFL the way Belichick did.
Smith, however, said he “almost had a heart attack” from the declaration, asking Parker to clarify whether he really intended to claim seven-time Super Bowl champion Tom Brady doesn’t belong in the Hall of Fame.
“Tom Brady shouldn’t be a first-ballot Hall of Famer?” Smith asked.
“No way, no how.” Parker insisted. “Tom Brady is best described as Lance Armstrong without the bicycle. They cheated! They cheated. Bill Belichick and Tom Brady are connected at the hip, this is what should happen. Look at Robert Kraft! He’s been denied 13 years in a row! He’s not in the Hall of Fame as an owner.”
Maybe Parker really is that averse to cheating or getting an edge. Maybe he believes every baseball player who ever stole a sign, used a little too much pine tar, scratched or spit on a baseball doesn’t belong in the Hall of Fame. Or maybe, Parker already saw Skip Bayless and Colin Cowherd defending Belichick’s Hall of Fame snub and just needed to craft a hotter take.
