8 Ways to Fix Pro Football’s Broken Hall of Fame Voting Process

Bill Belichick belongs in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, and there isn’t a good counterargument to that. He would be in the Hall already if the selection process wasn’t completely broken. The people who run the Hall have promised to fix it, but the solutions they recently leaked are likely to make it even worse. They need a complete overhaul, a bigger electorate and more transparency — in essence, a completely new approach to selecting Hall of Famers. Here are eight steps they can take to ensure the greatest of the greats all get in accordingly. 1. Add more voters This is the simplest and most common sense fix the Hall could make. The more voters they use, the more accurate the result will be. They currently have only 50 voters — mostly media members, including one representing every NFL city (two from cities with two teams). In small groups, biases can become a very big factor. Think of it this way: If you polled 500 media members and asked if Bill Belichick belonged in the Hall, he’d probably get 98% of the vote, at least. If there are 11 people who voted “No”, that wouldn’t matter. But if those 11 people are in a group of 50, suddenly Belichick is out. A big group, like the way baseball selects its Hall of Famers, eliminates the fringe factor. It eliminates power from small groups that might hold a grudge, have a geographical bias, or other nonsensical issues. Many years ago, a voter told me he voted against players from Dallas because “too many Cowboys are in already.” Another once told me he voted against Giants and Jets because “New York players are always over-hyped.” Stupidity like that becomes minimized by large numbers. So drop the dumb, outdated geographic requirements and give a vote to every member of the media who has been in the Pro Football Writers of America and actively covering games for at least 10 years. Include broadcasters (both TV and radio) and even some who handle media for NFL teams, since the lines are blurred anyway these days. Even in a shrinking media world, that will guarantee a large, experienced and knowledgeable group. 2. Let Hall of Famers and other NFL people vote, too Randy Moss made headlines over the weekend saying only players and coaches should vote on Hall of Famers. That’s a terrible idea, and all you have to do is look at how they vote for the NFL Top 100 or the Pro Bowl to know why. But Moss does have a point that players, coaches and executives have a knowledge and perspective that media members might not have. So let them vote, too. Not all of them, obviously. But start with giving a ballot to every living member of the Hall of Fame. Then add in a select group of historians, former coaches and GMs, and maybe even some players who played 10 or more years in the league, once their own Hall eligibility expires. The more diverse the vote and perspective is, the better. 3. Expand the yearly class of Hall of Famers The biggest complaint I hear from voters is about the “logjam” on the ballot. They tell me that almost everyone who makes the group of 15 finalists is worthy of enshrinement, but because they can only select up to eight each year — including the senior, coach and contributor candidates — a lot of candidates are forced to wait their turn for years. So expand the class and break the logjam, even if it’s only for a few years. They’ve done it before. In 2020, the Hall inducted a 20-person “Centennial Class” and held the ceremony over two days. There’s no asterisk on their busts. They’re all Hall of Famers, period. So increase the class to 10 “modern-era” players and add one coach, one contributor and one senior every year (more on that in a moment). And either split the ceremony or cut down on the length of speeches to save time. 4. Let the voters vote “Yes” or “No” on everybody The process of whittling down the list of nominees from 120 or so to 50, then to 25 semifinalists, then 15 finalists, then to 10 and then to the final class is pointless. There are worthy candidates that don’t regularly crack the final 25, and the process allows for too much jockeying for position. Voters too often have to consider whether a candidate has a better shot now or in future years. The essential question — and only question — every voter should ask is this: Is this person a Hall of Famer? So let them vote that way. Give every voter a ballot with all 120 or so names. Let them vote baseball style, for up to 10 each year. If a player gets 75% of the vote, they’re in (or use the top 10 if somehow more eclipse the 75% threshold). There will still be some hard choices until the logjam is broken. But eventually it will become easier to do. 5. Stop the presentations and eliminate the selection meeting This is the worst of the Hall selection process. Every year the committee meets (in person or via Zoom) and spends eight or nine hours debating and discussing the 15 finalists before they vote. One media member has to “present” each candidate, based on which city or team they represent. First, no voter should have to “present” a candidate. That’s a major conflict of interest. And what if the presentation is bad? What if another presenter is better, more prepared or more convincing? Why should that be a factor at all? Trust a group of experienced voters to do their own research and homework. And if players need a PR push, let them get that from the teams they played for in the league. Those teams can mount big campaigns if they want. But voters shouldn’t be a part of it. Also, that will eliminate the back-room dealing voters have done in the past — a “you vote for my guy and I’ll vote for yours,” wink-wink agreement. And it won’t put voters in position to try and convince their fellow voters to see things their way. There should be no electioneering on Election Day from anyone. And that would eliminate the need for a marathon meeting. All that does is guarantee a platform for negative thoughts. If you need an hour to decide if Bill Belichick is a Hall of Famer, you’re not qualified to vote on him. You already know his records, his accomplishments and all about Spygate, too. So make up your own mind. The same is true for every other player, coach or executive that reaches the final 15. These are the greatest of the greats. They don’t need introduction or debate. 6. Have separate ballots for contributors, coaches and senior candidates I’m honestly not in favor of owners being elected to the Hall of Fame. It feels like a reward for being rich, making others richer, and being smart and lucky enough to hire the right people to win a championship or two along the way. And I feel the same about commissioners because it feels like it’s almost mandatory to put them in the Hall. I prefer this category be for “builders” — people who really did something special to change the league, not just increase its revenue. But whatever we call this non-player, non-coach category, has to be separate. Let a select committee choose 5-10 people for the ballot each year, then put it up for a vote. Whoever gets the most votes (assuming they get at least 75%) that year gets in. And do the same for the coaches, too. One gets in per year (with the same 75% threshold). And the same for the senior candidates too. There should be one spot — and only one spot — reserved for each group in every class, every year. And it has to be separate from the modern-era players. This eliminates the moronic system in place now, where voters get three senior candidates, one coach and one contributor and can only vote for three. I don’t know how you compare Belichick to Robert Kraft to Roger Craig, but I know that voters shouldn’t have to do it. 7. Push the waiting period back for coaches I know at least one voter who questioned the wisdom of voting for Belichick this year because of the fact he may want to return to the NFL (I don’t know how that voter ultimately voted). That’s fair, and a good reason not to vote for him. So eliminate that possibility. No coach is eligible for the Hall until five years after they coached their last NFL game. Every once in a while, a coach will slip through that crack (à la Joe Gibbs) and return after they’re enshrined in Canton. But it will be rare. 8. Make all the ballots public There is danger to this, to be sure. And for proof, just look at the witch hunt that took place to find the people who didn’t vote for Belichick (the fact that many media members participated was particularly disgusting, by the way). It’s admittedly hard to have an honest opinion on something if you’re afraid that an internet mob will want you tarred and feathered for an honest and different thought. But if you can’t take the heat … don’t vote. This isn’t the MVP or Comeback Player of the Year. Voters for Halls of Fame are stewards of a public trust and guardians of an important institution. They are allowed diversity of thought. But they shouldn’t hide behind a wall. The rest of us should call off the dogs when we see a vote we don’t like. But at least we should be allowed to see it. Conclusion Implement all of these measures, and this is what you get: fairness, opportunity, and a still-difficult path to the Hall of Fame. It should be hard. It’s for football immortals. If you can’t get a 75% vote from experienced media members, fellow Hall of Famers, historians, coaches, etc., over the 20 years you’re eligible to be on the ballot, that probably says you don’t belong in the Hall of Fame. But for those that do make it, it will be a true measure of their qualifications, not the process, groupthink or electioneering. The plan above boils the Hall selection process down to what it should always be about: Is this person a Hall of Famer? That is all that ever should matter in the end.