The Dan Patrick Show – Hour 1 – Belichick Gets the Shaft, Mike McCarthy Introduced in Pittsburgh
Date: January 28, 2026
Host: Dan Patrick & The Dan Patrick Show Team
Episode Focus: The Pro Football Hall of Fame’s exclusion of Bill Belichick from immediate induction, the process and ramifications of Hall of Fame voting, Mike McCarthy’s emotional introduction as Pittsburgh Steelers head coach, and reactions around NFL coaching hires.
Overview
The episode is dominated by the stunning news that Bill Belichick, widely regarded as one of the greatest NFL coaches, did not get inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame this year—a decision that sparked debate over the integrity and consistency of the Hall's voting process. Dan and the team dissect the vote’s causes and consequences, speculate about the motivations of Hall voters, and discuss fallout for other would-be inductees. The show also covers Mike McCarthy’s tearful first press conference as Steelers coach, quick takes on other coaching hires, and listener reactions.
Tone: Engaged, incredulous, conversational, at times light-hearted (especially with McCarthy), but serious when addressing the Hall of Fame’s process.
Main Discussion: Bill Belichick Snubbed by Hall of Fame
The Facts & Outrage
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Breaking News: Bill Belichick is not a Hall of Famer—at least not this year. Despite being a six-time Super Bowl-winning head coach and two-time winner as a DC, he did not receive the requisite 80% of votes for immediate induction.
(Dan Patrick, 03:04)“Bill Belichick, not a Hall of Famer at least this year... Bill Belichick didn’t get 80% of the votes. Now there’s 50 voters, have to have at least 40 who say yay or nay. And apparently you had at least 11 voters who decided that Bill Belichick was going to have to wait.”
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Voter Process Criticized: The Hall of Fame voting system is revealed to be opaque, leading to speculation about personal vendettas and inconsistency in justice for figures tainted by scandal.
(Dan Patrick, 05:40)“Make this C-SPAN, make it, you know, PBS. Let us see what goes on, like one day—let us understand the importance of this… I’ve been lobbying for transparency.”
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Grievances & Agenda? Multiple times, Dan speculates that “somebody had an agenda” due to deflategate & spygate legacies, and that perhaps the 11 voters were organized in advance to block Belichick, echoing reporting by Don Van Natta and ESPN. (Dan Patrick, 11:54)
“...maybe you had some subterfuge, something was orchestrated behind the scenes, people trying to gather enough votes. ‘We need 11 votes. Bill won’t get in. We’ll teach him.’ Now, whether that happened or not, there’s certainly been speculation reporting on that.”
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Double Standards and Consistency: Dan challenges the logic of punishing Belichick for “football crimes” and notes that some players/coaches (e.g. Julius Peppers, who failed PED tests, or Ted Williams, who was standoffish with media) did not face the same penalty. (Dan Patrick, 16:52)
“Did Belichick cheat? Yes. In accordance to, you know, the commissioner, he cheated. Okay. He paid a price... I just hate when we pick and choose justice here when it comes to sports.”
On the Hall’s Process and Its Victims
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Collateral Damage / Backlog: Other coaches and players will now have to wait yet another year, which may affect their ability to celebrate their induction while alive. (Dan Patrick, 13:20)
“But this also pushes back the other coaches who were up for Hall of Fame consideration. Does Belichick get in next year?.. you get this backlog and then you get more players who are going to come in.”
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Need for Reform:
(Dan Patrick, 14:43)“Because every year it’s somebody where you go, ‘well, Hall of Famer,’ and that’s the way it’s going to be. But this backlog here, they got to change that, because you got so many people, then they’re waiting for that knock on the door... And they deserve that.”
On Media, Personalities & Voting
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Was It Spygate or Attitude? Dan, Paulie, and Peter King (cited) discuss whether Belichick’s treatment of media was really at the root of his exclusion. (Paulie, 22:30)
“Do you think that the 11 voters who didn’t vote for Belichick used Spygate as the rationale, while it was really about how Bill treated their media brethren the past two decades?”
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Peter King (via Dan):
(Dan Patrick, 21:49)“Peter King...said whoever it was that couldn’t set aside Belichick being a jerk to them or who have sneered at how he’s conducted himself...got their way, proving yet again that no amount of power gets abused like hardly any at all. So congratulations to those who didn’t want him in. You got your pound of flesh.”
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Consistency For Brady?
(Dan Patrick, 12:24)“If you’re going to hold Belichick to a higher standard, then hold Brady to a higher standard as well.”
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Votes Should be Public:
(Dan Patrick, 24:14)“Anytime I voted for an award, I let people know who I voted for or if I didn’t vote for somebody. I believe in transparency because...this is the culmination and we should know why you don’t like somebody or why you do.”
Notable Quotes & Moments
On flawed voting (“knock at the door”):
- (Dan Patrick, 29:15) “Imagine these candidates, and you’re just waiting. Imagine being a finalist for nine years...the knock is not coming for that year. That build up, that letdown.”
On Belichick’s coaching greatness:
- (Dan Patrick, 31:27): “He’s been a part of eight out of 59 [Super Bowls]. If you look at him as a coordinator—won six as a head coach out of the 59 that have been. So a little better than 10%.”
Mike McCarthy’s Pittsburgh Press Conference
McCarthy’s Homecoming and Classic Clichés
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Emotional Return: McCarthy is visibly emotional at the start, referencing his Pittsburgh roots and the significance of “coming home” as head coach. (Mike McCarthy, 34:07)
“One day to put on the colors you wore since you brought home. I apologize...this city, this franchise, this fan base means the world to me because Pittsburgh’s my world and it’s just awesome to be back here.”
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Emphasizing Tradition: Forecasts a continuation of the winning legacy. (Mike McCarthy, 35:05)
“My focus is singular and it’s time to bring another championship back to this great city. With that, I just want to make sure that when we do get that trophy...the seventh trophy in a case will start that victory parade at 1137 Greenfield Avenue.”
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Cliché Game, Team Banter: The show’s panel had played a “McCarthy cliché game”—guessing which phrase he’d use (references to “hard working city”, “winning culture”, “lucky #7,” etc.)
(Marvin, 36:23-36:41)“My new favorite number is lucky 7. Hold on tight to your terrible towels because I can assure you we’re about to go on a wild, exciting ride.”
Other NFL Coaching Hires
- Joe Brady Elevated in Buffalo: Dan doubts the impact, as Brady was already calling plays and is close to Josh Allen—feels like nothing changes structurally (33:54).
- Browns, Arizona, Vegas Jobs: The crew discusses potential moves (Jim Schwartz in Cleveland, Vegas possibly waiting on a Super Bowl coach, uncertainty in Arizona).
- Mike Tomlin’s eligibility: Emphasized that only coaches have just a one-year waiting period.
Hall of Fame System, Justice, and Legacy
Double Standards & Comparison
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Other Notable “Difficult” Inductees: Ted Williams, Julius Peppers, and noted cases where media relations didn’t affect voting as drastically. (Dan Patrick, 32:21-32:24)
“Ted wasn’t nice to anybody… He didn’t care. He was playing. If you liked him, great. If you didn’t, he was not trying to curry favor.”
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Call-in Segment: Listeners reference possible biases (Bill Polian-Tony Dungy connection) and bring up the precedent of Bill Parcells being made to wait (39:42).
Derrick Rose vs. LeBron: Revisiting a Hot Take
- Reggie Miller’s Controversial Statement: Reference to the previous day’s segment where Reggie Miller said Derrick Rose battled LeBron James “for six to eight years,” which Dan and Paulie clarify was closer to a three-year peak due to injury.
(Reggie Miller, 47:08)
“For a six to eight-year stretch…him and LeBron were battling for who was the best player in the game and the youngest MVP. I would be surprised if at some point he doesn’t get in [the Hall of Fame].” (Dan Patrick, 47:39) “There was a three-year window where you could say that Derrick Rose was equal with LeBron James. He was an MVP, the youngest MVP, and then he got hurt… Reg is my guy. He made a mistake here.”
Listener Calls & Show Banter
- Callers: Discuss Belichick’s snub, possible voter conspiracy, past parallels (Parcells), supportive takes, and references to the emotional letdown of waiting for Hall induction.
- Show Humor: Cliché jokes, playful banter around traditions of press conferences and Pittsburgh football culture.
Highlighted Quotes with Timestamps
- “Bill Belichick, not a Hall of Famer at least this year... Bill Belichick didn’t get 80% of the votes.” (Dan Patrick, 03:04)
- “If you’re going to hold Belichick to a higher standard, then hold Brady to a higher standard as well.” (Dan Patrick, 12:24)
- “It just makes the Hall of Fame look bad, that’s all. Because this is, it’s obvious… he’s still first ballot Hall of Famer.” (Dan Patrick, 12:15)
- “Congratulations to those who didn’t want him in. You got your pound of flesh at the expense of the integrity of the Pro Football Hall of Fame.” (Dan Patrick quoting Peter King, 21:49)
- “If you get to the final five, you should get in. You should.” (Dan Patrick, 14:54)
- “My focus is singular and it’s time to bring another championship back to this great city… my new favorite number is lucky 7.” (Mike McCarthy, 35:05, 36:23)
Important Timestamps
- 03:04 – Breaking down the Belichick Hall of Fame snub and voting process
- 11:54 – Speculation about agendas and possible voter conspiracies
- 13:02 – Don Van Natta/ESPN reporting & the “one-year penance” for Spygate
- 14:43 – Backlog’s effect on other candidates/coaches
- 21:49 – Peter King’s critique of the process
- 22:30 – Discussion on whether it’s about Spygate or Belichick’s personality
- 24:14 – Call for transparency in voting
- 34:07 – Mike McCarthy’s emotional opening press conference
- 35:05/36:23 – McCarthy lays out mission and deploys “lucky 7” cliché
- 47:08 – Reggie Miller’s Derrick Rose take revisited
Final Thoughts
Dan’s Core Message:
The Hall of Fame voting process lacks transparency and consistency, with Belichick’s snub exposing personal biases and procedural flaws. The effect is a deepening backlog pushing deserving candidates—players and coaches—away from timely celebration. The solution, Dan suggests, is greater transparency and fairness in the process and recognition for those who’ve decisively shaped the game.
On McCarthy:
A well-covered, emotional homecoming that hits all the expected (and cliché-filled) notes; a nice palate cleanser to the controversy.
This summary captures the essential discussion, tone, notable arguments, and memorable moments from Hour 1 of The Dan Patrick Show (Jan 28, 2026), letting those who missed it follow every thread—from Belichick’s controversial snub to McCarthy’s teary-eyed homecoming.