SAN JOSE, Calif. -- NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said Monday the league has nothing to do with the vote for the Pro Football Hall of Fame and that he believes Bill Belichick will eventually be inducted.
Sources told ESPN's Don Van Natta Jr. and Seth Wickersham last week that Belichick did not get enough votes in his first year of eligibility despite winning a record six Super Bowl titles as head coach of the New England Patriots.
There was speculation that Belichick's role in the Spygate scandal in 2007 and changes to the voting process might have contributed to at least 11 of the 50 voters opting against voting for Belichick.
Belichick was in a group with New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft and three seniors players -- Ken Anderson, Roger Craig and L.C. Greenwood -- with voters allowed to vote for only three candidates with 80% support needed.
"We are not involved in it," Goodell said. "Bill Belichick's record goes without saying, same with the Patriots and Robert Kraft, who is also a candidate. They are spectacular. They have contributed so much to this game, and I believe they will be Hall of Famers."
Goodell touched on a number of topics in a wide-ranging news conference at the Super Bowl. Also discussed:
• Goodell said the NFL and the players' union have not had "any formal discussions" about an 18-game schedule. He added that the two sides have had "very little informal conversations."
He said expanding from 16 to 17 games in 2021 "went quite smoothly."
"But the challenges will be different here a little bit, and it'll depend on a lot of factors, including safety of the game," he said.
The current CBA between the NFL and its players' union expires in 2030.
Goodell suggested part of the discussion will include roster sizes and whether teams should have two bye weeks to potentially accommodate an extra regular-season game.
Seattle Seahawks receiver Cooper Kupp hinted that owners would have to give up a bigger piece of the financial pie to get an 18th done.
"For the 18th game to happen, there's obviously going to be some negotiation," Kupp said. "There's some things, give and take. Unfortunately, it's one of those things. If the 18th game is on the table, there's going to have to be some talks about what makes that worth it to the players. And we'll get to that point. We'll cross that bridge."
• Goodell said he doesn't expect Bad Bunny to say anything divisive during his Super Bowl halftime performance.
The Puerto Rican musician won album of the year at the Grammy Awards on Sunday night. While accepting an earlier award, Bad Bunny criticized President Donald Trump's administration for its dramatic expansion of immigration arrests.
Goodell was asked if he expected political statements from Bad Bunny, Green Day or any other artists performing at the game. He said Bad Bunny understands that the NFL is providing a platform "to unite people and be able to bring people together."
"Bad Bunny is, and I think that was demonstrated last night, one of the great artists in the world," Goodell added. "And that's one of the reasons we chose him."
• Goodell also announced the creation of the Paul J. Tagliabue NFL Academic Excellence Award in honor of the late commissioner who died in November. The award will be presented annually to an NFL player who epitomizes Tagliabue's scholarship and academic excellence. The first recipient will be named during Super Bowl LXI week in Los Angeles next year with a donation in his honor being made to a university of his choosing.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
