NewzCANTON, Ohio - The Pro Football Hall of Fame is overhauling the selection process by eliminating a separate category for senior players, cutting the selection committee nearly in half and returning to in-person meetings. The Pro Football Hall of Fame is overhauling the selection process by eliminating a separate category for senior players, cutting the selection committee nearly in half and returning to in-person meetings.The new procedures were approved by the Hall of Fame board following discussions with Hall of Fame staff, members and people on the selection committee. The changes that were announced on Friday will be in place for the Class of 2027 and come after the voting process came under heavy scrutiny for the most recent class, when six-time Super Bowl winning head coach Bill Belichick failed to get enough support for induction.“The Hall of Fame’s selection process has always been guided by integrity, thoughtful deliberation and a commitment to honoring those most deserving of football’s highest individual honor,” Hall of Fame President Jim Porter said.
“We believe these changes both augment what has worked well while addressing opportunities to further strengthen a tradition that means so much to the game and everyone who loves it.”The Hall is cutting the size of the selection committee from 50 people to 28, with 25 of them eligible to vote each year and the other thee only able to participate in the discussion of each candidate. The three nonvoters will rotate each year. Instead of a panel that had one representative for each of the 32 teams, 17 at-large voters — including Hall of Famers Bill Polian, Tony Dungy, Dan Fouts and James Lofton — and one representative of the Pro Football Writers of America, there will be 27 at-large members, including some of those Hall of Famers, and one PFWA representative.The Basketball Hall of Fame has a 24-person voting panel, while hockey has 18 people.
The Baseball Hall of Fame has the largest voting body with 425 voters last year among members of the Baseball Writers’ Association of America who have been writing about the game for at least 10 straight years.The 28-person selection committee will follow a similar process as in the past, reducing the initial list of nominees in the player category to 50 players then 25 semifinalists and 13 finalists. There will also be one coaching candidate and one contributor picked as a finalist who will be added to that group and considered with the players.Players are eligible for the Hall after five years of retirement but there no longer will be a split between modern era candidates and s…
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