Brian Polian criticizes his father, Bill Polian, for insulting Belichick - NBC Sports

Bill Belichick's coldness has caused many ripple effects.

Bill Belichick's snub had many ripple effects.The biggest came from Hall of Fame GM and Hall of Fame voter Bill Polian's alleged role in convincing other voters to stick with Belichick.

It started with an ESPN.com story about Belichick's omission.From the report: "One voter, who requested anonymity, said Polian, a [Robert] Kraft supporter and former general manager of the Buffalo Bills and Indianapolis Colts, who were major rivals during the Patriots' dynasty, told some voters that Belichick should wait 'a year' before being inducted as penance for Spygate."

Polian initially told SI.com, "That's not really true. I voted for [Belichick]."Polian told ESPN.com that he doesn't remember with 100 percent certainty if he chose Belichick.On Wednesday, Polian confirmed that he voted for Belichick.

That hasn't stopped Polian from being accused of inciting Belichick's playoff loss.Based on Vahe Gregorian of the Kansas City Star's explanation of his decision not to vote for Belichick, it's entirely possible that some voters left Belichick off their ballots along with former players Ken Anderson, Roger Craig and L.C.Greenwood and Belichick eventually get in.He claims that players cannot do that at all.

Regardless, as Belichick's host Armando Salguero explained, the prevailing opinion is that Spygate ruined Belichick's candidacy.

Bill's son, John Carroll University football coach Brian Polian, weighed in on the situation.

"My father is a public figure and a polarizer," Brian Polian said on Twitter."I understand that and I accept that. However, what happened in the last few days is not right. Facts and truth are important."

Whatever the reasoning for the 11 (or so) who didn't include Belichick as one of three selections from a group that included Anderson, Craig, Greenwood and Patriots owner Robert Kraft, Belichick didn't get enough votes.It is a product of the process, which (for whatever reason) no longer requires a vote for or against each of the finalists.

Nobody has the option to "touch" Belichick.Just choose "for" next year, please fix this.

The broader question is whether the Hall of Fame will revise its voting procedures to reset the bar.If not, annual class sizes will shrink, gridlock will deepen, and more valuable candidates (those who have already committed) will be overlooked.