Earlier this week the initial nominee list for the 2017 Pro Football Hall of Fame class was announced. Players that have been retired from football for a minimum of five years and receive a vote from one of the 48 Hall of Fame voters. From there the list is narrowed down to a list of 25 semifinalists, then to 15 finalists with two senior finalists being added by the senior committee. From there of the final 17 are narrowed down to between four and eight inductees. The Hall of Fame enshrined its first class in 1963 when it inducted its 17 charter members, highlighted by seven two-way players. Today there are 303 players, coaches, owners and contributors to the game of football with their busts on display in Canton, Ohio.
I am starting to get the age where whole is enshrined in Canton, Ohio is beginning to mean more and more to me as a fan. Although I usually watch the induction ceremony, it wasn’t as special watching players like Jim Kelly, and Joe Montana inducted as for the most part I don’t remember watching them play. Kelly retired in 1996 two years after Montana, so I really have no memory of seeing them. Having memories of watching four of the seven members of the Class of 2016 either playing or coaching made this class one for me to remember. Looking at the 2017 nominees I see even more names that I have fond memories of watching. From both Quarterbacks in Super Bowl XXXIV Kurt Warner and the late Steve McNair, to one of the best Offensive Lineman of an era Alan Faneca, to the longtime defensive anchors of my beloved Miami Dolphins Jason Taylor and Zach Thomas.
One name on this list stuck out not for his accomplishments on the field but for what he has been found guilty of off of it. Former Defensive Back Darren Sharper recently was given an 18-year sentence in a federal court for rapes committed against up to 16 different women. Sharper a 14 year NFL veteran was drafted out of the College of William and Mary in the second round of the 1997 NFL Draft by the Green Bay Packers. He went on to play eight years in Green Bay, four years in Minnesota and two in New Orleans. During his career, Sharper was as impact player being selected to five Pro Bowls (2000, 2002, 2005, 2007, and 2009) as well as being named 1st team all NFL in 2000 and 2009. Despite a solid NFL career, it is completely overshadowed by his illegal activity off of the field.
The Pro Football Hall of Fame does not currently have a clause for player conduct off of the field and if Sharper were to be inducted into the Hall of Fame he wouldn’t be the convicted criminal enshrined in Canton. In 1994 nine years after being inducted O.J. Simpson went on trial for the murders of ex-wife Nicole Brown-Simpson and her friend Ron Goldman. Although he was found not guilty in criminal court, he was made to pay $33.5 Million in a wrongful death suit in regards to Simpson. In 2008 Simpson was convicted of multiple felonies including kidnapping and armed robbery and is currently serving a 33-year sentence at Lovelock Correctional Facility in Nevada, his bust remains in the Hall despite calls by some to remove it. To find an example of a Hall of Famer with a criminal past prior to their induction you need look no further than the class of 2015 and Edward J. DeBartolo Jr. DeBartolo was the owner of the San Francisco 49ers from 1977-2000, during all five of the team’s Super Bowl wins. DeBartolo is also known for, among other things settling a 1992 Sexual Assault Allegation out of court to the tune of $200.000. Eddie D, as he is known in NFL circles, also plead to failure to report a felony in connection to corruption case of Louisiana Governor Edwin Edwards. In exchange for his testimony against Edwards was fined $1 Million Dollars and given two years’ probation along with punishment from the NFL.
The fact that an ethics clause does not exist is an interesting conundrum for not only the Pro Football Hall of Fame but for all Hall of Fames. Although it seems like something that should be a common sense practice, it is difficult to know where a line would be drawn in regards to off the field ethics. That being said in a world where not only are sports fans calling for baseball players like Barry Bonds, Mark McGuire and others to be banned from the Hall of Fame for taking performance enhancing drugs combined with the NFL and other sports taking stronger stances on issues surrounding domestic assault and similar issues in the wake of incidents involving Ray Rice, Greg Hardy, Adrian Peterson and others it is easy to assume that a character clause would and should exclude Sharper from ever being nominated. Over 20 years ago Charles Barkley came under fire for saying in a Nike commercial “I am not a Role Model”. If we are going to expect athletes to be role models, which is something that I think that we should expect all in an elevated position to be, then we look at the people that are on the cusp of attaining the highest feat in sport it is necessary not only to have a formal ethics clause to put the best people in the hall of fame but retroactively remove players like Simpson that have damaged the image of the sport. In a world where Roger Goodell tells NFL personnel to “Protect the Shield” it is time to protect the Hall, bringing true meaning to the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s core values of commitment, integrity, courage, respect and excellence.
