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Deion Sanders sparks Hall of Fame debate with call for radical voting overhaul originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
As the Pro Football Hall of Fame considers changes to its voting procedures after producing induction classes of just four and five members over the last two years, Deion Sanders believes the conversation hasn’t gone nearly far enough.
Sanders, who was enshrined in 2011, used an appearance on This Is Football with Kevin Clark to challenge not just how many players are getting in, but who gets to decide in the first place.
When the discussion turned to long-overlooked candidates such as Darren Woodson, Asante Samuel, and Fred Taylor, Sanders posed the question himself.
“What about those three?” Sanders asked. “Do we need to change the process?”
When Clark followed by asking how the system should change to get players like that into Canton, the Colorado Buffaloes’ head coach did not hesitate. “Ask the Hall of Famers.”
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Clark pressed further, asking whether that meant Hall of Famers voting on future Hall of Famers. Sanders’ answer was immediate. “I think so.”
Coach Prime then explained his reasoning with a metaphor that cut to the heart of his frustration. “I wouldn’t want the Grinch who stole Christmas voting on a beauty pageant,” he said. “Think about what I just said.”
He emphasized that his criticism wasn’t personal. “There’s no one ugly in this world,” Sanders added, before returning to his central point. “How do you know what beauty is?”
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As Clark attempted to defend the work of the current voters, Sanders pushed back. “No, no, they don’t,” he said. “Quit applauding them for something. You clapping for somebody they shouldn’t be clapped for. We can’t do that.”
For Sanders, the issue has become a pattern rather than an isolated mistake. “They messing it up consistently,” he said about the current selection committee.
He was careful to note that his frustration isn’t aimed at the most recent inductees. “I’m not mad at any of the guys that got in,” Sanders said. When Roger Craig was mentioned, Sanders agreed emphatically. “Roger Craig should have been got in a long time ago.”
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Still, Sanders argued that inconsistencies remain impossible to ignore. “Anytime I throw up a guy, I could throw up a guy that he was better than,” he said. “I could throw up guys that Darren Woodson is better than. I could throw up guys that Asante Samuel is better than. Fred Taylor’s better than quite a few guys that got in there.”
Currently, the Hall of Fame’s 50-person selection committee includes only four Hall of Famers: Dan Fouts, James Lofton, Bill Polian, and Tony Dungy. The remaining members are media representatives.
“You use the process for this guy but not for that guy,” Sanders said. “I just don’t understand the process sometimes...they need to just ask us.”
To Sanders, it’s not about ego or exclusion. It’s about trusting those who already earned a gold jacket to recognize the difference between a good career and a Hall of Fame one.
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