This Podcast Is... Uncalled For - Pro Football HOF Selection Reform Now

Episode Date: September 25, 2026

Once again, Torry Holt got screwed out of his rightful place in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.  As did the late LC Greenwood and a handful of other names that come to mind (none of them being Lester Hayes).  Mike definitely has some Thoughts on this.

Check the mic will go live. Stories told they rise and dive. Topics fresh with every spin. You won't guess what's coming in. We can lose surprise. Minds away never lies. Conversations bold and free. Just wait and see.

Just press play. We're on our way. Voice is sharp, opinion bright. Hello, everybody. Welcome to the podcast. Once again, today's the thoughts episode and one that really has me pissed off. And you know it's pissing me off because we're doing a thoughts episode on it. And this is about Canton. For context for our non-sports fans out there, the Pro Football Hall Famous based in Canton, Ohio.

Canton is about an hour south of Cleveland. And the reason it's there, because in the... in 1920, a league called the American Professional Football Association got their, got founded in a car dealership in Canton, and that league eventually became the National Football League. So this is the de facto Hall of Fame for the NFL, although in theory other American football leagues could. participate, but in practice, it is just at the NFL. And for further contests, I am recording this on Super Bowl Sunday. Super Bowl 60 is happening later today between the New England Patriots, about to make their 12th Super Bowl appearance,

and they are playing the Seattle Seahawks or Sea Chickens, if you're familiar with this program. or with me at all. And over the course of the weekend, they announced the Hall of Fame class of 2026. Let me present you the class of 2026. We'll start with Drew Bree's quarterback, directed by the Chargers when they were still in San Diego.

But most notably, got the New Orleans Saints to a Super Bowl and won it. All right. Also, I know the cousins of Drew Breeze. He has a couple cousins in the Lawrence area who are filmmakers. So, Drew Breeze. Okay, that one, absolutely good. Get that man in and I'm happy for him.

Everything? Next up, Roger Craig played Ryan back for San Francisco. Reform number one. more fucking whiners in the Hall of Fame. All right. And sick as seeing that specific team getting guys in.

And apparently this was a Veterans Committee selection. He'll get to the committees in a second. But he's in. Number three, Life Fitzgerald. The wide receiver played his entire career, entire NFL career with Arizona.

My team now. Played with Kurt Warner, was on Cardinals team that got to the Super Bowl, of course. So, happy for him, but there's another receiver that should have been going in as well. Next would be Luke. I'm going butcher his name. I'm sorry, Kukli at K-U-E-C-H-L-Y. I apologize.

I can't. Could never for the love of me fair I have to pronounce it. but he was a linebacker for Carolina. All right. Okay, yeah, we got a defensive guy in. All right. Great, Super Bowl. And last, Adventiari, long-time kicker, Mosambu,

with New England and the Colts. Reform number two, no more kickers. All right. I know this is football, but kicking is... Kickers get overlooked, and we... Unlike the other sport that calls itself football, we really don't focus on kicking as much in our football kickers.

I come out like not very often, but not enough for anyone to justify putting kickers in the fucking Hall of Fame. All right. Notably excluded from this list, I'm going to name, two names, neither of which are Bobcraft or Bell. check. The two names that come to mind, one's a veterans guy, by the name of L.C. Greenwood, L.C. Greenwood, for those unfamiliar, he played for the steel curtain steelers when they won four Super Bowls in the 70s, and is the only one noticeably not, the big name, noticeably not in the hall from those. those Steelers teams.

By the way, Elsie Gurdonwoods passed away 2013 at the age of 67. So that's one that absolutely needs to get in. He's already in the Pittsburgh Pro Football Hall of Fame. He's in the Steelers Hall of Honor. Steelers' all-time team. Why is this man not in Cannon? All right.

And the other one, one that resonates with me most of all, being a former Rams fan, Tori Holtz, wide receiver, played most of his career in St. Louis, arguably the second best receiver on that team after Isaac Bruce, and has the Hall Fame numbers to get in. All right. And you already have enough, a lot of the Great Sean Turf Rams in the hall. You have Kurt Warner

and granted he got it in part because of the greatest on Tarfan Parkas he got the Cardinals to a Super Bowl. You have Marshall Falk and arguing one of the best roundbacks

to ever play the game. You have Isaac Bruce, the other number one receiver on that team, Holtz of Woodman, the number two. I don't think we'll see Azakim or Ricky Proll in Hall of Fame

discussion, certainly not as players. That said, good luck to Ricky Proll. I'll be a poem for you and the BALX to win the UFL this year. And Orlando Pace, the big offensive tackle, the left tackle, protecting Warner's blindside

and did. So, enough that yeah he got in and I don't buy the conspiracy theory that Holtz was excluded because the NFL hates

still hate St. Louis I don't buy that because of who the who all is on the Hall Fame selection committee so but change doesn't need to

happen and And before I go any further, let's take a look at that committee and some of the key players I'm talking about. So the committee consists of one media represented from each pro football city with two each from L.A. and New York. I have heard in the case of L.A., they have a rule against L.A. Times, colonists participating in this. and we'll see that as much as those cities have two teams in the NFL 33rd member is a representative

of the pro football writers of America and they are up to 17 at large delegates so with the exception of the FFWA representative who is appointed to one year term

all appointments are reviewed annually and approved by the Pro Football Hall of Fame board directors all right So they meet annually shortly before the Super Bowl to elect new members to be enshrined the following summer. So the enshrined ceremony will actually take place in August at the start of the preseason. All right.

And I got to go to this ceremony in 99 when Eric Richardson was inducted. Really cool time and everything. And I do highly recommend. If you ever get a chance and you're a football fan, go. And go to the pro football. Hall fame game that same weekend as well. It's at the Fawcett Stadium right next door to the Hall in Canton. So if you get a chance, go.

So the Hall Fame Selection Committee meets annually to elect the new members. There are no set number for any class of insurnees, but the committee's current bylaws stipulated that between four and eight new members can be elected. any year with the classes of 1973 and 1976 each with three which is the smallest of all time okay okay so there are five going in this year it should be more should be more that's just my way of thinking at least each candidate is carefully scrutinized and must receive at least 80% approval from the committee at the annual meeting

before he or she can be elected. As far as I know, there are no women in the Pro Football Hall fame. When the selectors meet to name the class, they will have before them a roster of up to 20 finalists as candidates,

along with detailed bios for each. To assure that older member players will be considered a senior blue ribbon committee made up of nine members, members most from the overall selection committee will be chosen up well chosen up to three nominees who play no more recently than the 2000 season to be included on the final list next change yeah yeah we're seeing things about the seniors committee or seniors blue ribbon committee. That should be a separate vote. So we have the

current player, the more recent players, that should be one ballot. Seniors committee, that really should be a separate ballots altogether. All right. And that should be a separate vote altogether. Same with contributors

and coaches, because those that's a thing now. So, so reform number three and this is a serious reform have those be separate ballots all right yeah so one ballot current all current more recent players ballot two your seniors ballot three your coaches ballot for your contributors and yes unfortunately this means owners two and uh and uh and let's look at some of those members from the uh from the uh select committee

and this is why, say, I don't think there's anti-St. Louis bias on here because, like I said, I think there's a rule with the LA Times that they can't send anyone to be on this committee, so they delegate to someone either from San Diego from St. Louis. Well, one of them is a St. Louis guy, Howard Bolzer, who probably knows more about St. Louis history than anyone. It'd be a cool guest to try to get on. Actually, another thing meant, but... One thing at the time. And the at large guys include a couple of Hallfamers,

like Tony Dungey and Dan Fouts. And James Lofton is also listed, and Bill Pullian as well. So four Hallfamers on this committee. So, yeah, I would just... So, yeah, let's just have separate ballots for all those. And let's get rid of the

that they all have to be considered all in once. No, consider them separately, you know. Cooperstown, the baseball offender, I'm Cooperstown, New York. I think they figured this shit out you know,

and corrected their own mistakes and everything. This year, they just had a ballot separate from the ballot that we think of where yeah we're going to see Carlos Beltran

being elected to the hall this year but they did separate ballots for the 26 Hall of Fame and that included the likes of what did include the likes of

excuse me so I want to try to figure shit out. But there was a second ballot that had players from before the MRI or could

see as a senior committee type deal. But they elected one guy there. So yeah, Carlos Beltran and Andrew Jones both made in on the

Baseball Writers Association of America ballots. And they are joining Jeff Kent who received his vote. I'm trying to look for

this all right so I'll probably put some music in as well and I'm consulting the baseball Hall of Fame websites as well so all right we'll just

click on the Jeff Kent page so we'll read more well I have to put music here but why are you why are you found to cooperate with okay here we go yeah just from Wikipedia so yeah the three yeah Carlos Baltran Andrew Jones Jeff Kent

Kent got in on is called the contemporary baseball era committee They met in December of 25 at baseball winter meetings to consider guys who candidates from the era beginning in 1980. They've been retired at least 15 years and played most of their careers after 1980. But not quite to the... Not quite to the... Yeah.

That's supposed to... The candidates included Kent includes Carlos Delgado Don Mattingley Maddingley Get rid of the side bins Dale Murphy Barry Bonds

Roger Clemens Price still thinks he's a chicken or something Gary Sheffield and Fernando Valiswella Although those last four names They are now Ineligible for the

2029 Veterans Committee Election By poor performance on this ballot and not been subsequently been eliminated. So Kent was the only one that got enough votes on this particular ballots.

If they want to do it again, they can do it again. Of course. And they have the Ford Frick Award as well for that one is presented annually to a broadcaster for major contributions to baseball. And this year it goes to Joe Buck, San Luis guy.

I know everyone likes to rat on the guy, but... But it is what it is. So I think baseball figured out, and that's the templates that the Football Hall of Fame should really consider. Separate ballots. Get more guys in. And the thing about more recent guys, you know, I know a lot of people especially around here going to say,

Patrick Mel Holmes is a hallfamer, Travis Kelsey, Hallfamer, Jason Kelsey, Hallfamer, Jason Kelsey, Hallfamer. Chris Jones, he of my dick fell out, infamy Hall of Fame. Unless there is a serious reform in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, are they really? famers or are they even first ballot guys. Stuff that Canton has to think about. All right.

I don't want to come back here next year announcing once again Tori Holtz excluded from the hall. Let's get that guy in and let's get Elsie Greenwood in as well. So that's it.

That's all. And we have reached the Cleveland Browns portion of our show. This podcast is Uncalled for is hosted, produced and edited by myself, Mike Charenewski. Our opening song was created at suno.com. SUNO.com. We're closing with God in Cleveland by Steve Combs, licensed in a creative commons by attribution 4.0 license. You can find his music at free music archive.org.

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