Should Character Matter for H.O.F.?

Should a player's character affect their Hall of Fame election?


  • Total voters
    10
I say no for the most part because someone can have a great career on the field while also being, character wise, someone you'd like to flush down the toilet. One does not preclude the other.
The reason I put "depends" is that if I believe that the person has done things within the realm of his on field career that casts doubts on his on field accomplishments for a good period of time, I may not want him in there.
 
I think character should be evaluated on a case by case basis. "Character" encompasses too many things to have an ironclad written rule precluding admissions to the Hall.
 
It's mostly about stats and rings...OJ? Ray Lewis? LT? There's most likely plenty of other questionable players that have issues.

Maybe they should have an humanitarian award? Maybe they already do? I don't know (ignorant on this topic), I don't watch award shows. I just watch football games.
 
I went with "depends". The category not the adult diaper.

Corey Dillon was a major problem child in college. He once took on a squad of cops and won. Problems as long as your arm, but as a pro he didn't do anything worse than throwing his shoulder pads into the stands after his last game in Cincy. I think that explains my point. He was an angry dude that kept a lid on it off the field. He's a borderline HOF'er and might never get the call, but it shouldn't be because of what he did when he was 19.

On the other hand, Antonio Brown should be eligible, but never, ever get the votes just because of the special kind of asshole he has been. I like the idea of him griping about how he was misunderstood and mistreated for the rest of his life but nobody gives a shit.
 
I voted 'depends'. I like your question. It makes me wonder if O.J. Simpson should be in the HOF. He was a great player, one of the best running backs ever. but he killed two people, I think. So jeez, should he be in? Now, he was found not guilty in a court of law, but was found guilty (or whatever the word would be) in a civil trial, where there are less effects of reasonable doubt. I mean, murder, rape, and some other crimes, should preclude some players for the HOF. You know, they shouldn't be able to get in, in my opinion.

Of course, I'm sure a lot of players broke laws, and morality...
 
It's shouldn't be we all know . If your a Diva or locker room cancer . HOF voters will hold that against you. Just look at TO taking a couple attempts to make the HOF.
 
It would depend since there are several "alleged" murderers in the HOF. It would be pretty hypocritical if all of a sudden they began to care about character on the new inductees.
 
It's shouldn't be we all know . If your a Diva or locker room cancer . HOF voters will hold that against you. Just look at TO taking a couple attempts to make the HOF.
TO is a good one. Never a criminal, but...did do some things that made him a bad teammate. i don't really buy into the "bad role model" thing as a factor either. i'd still say put him in.
 
TO is a good one. Never a criminal, but...did do some things that made him a bad teammate. i don't really buy into the "bad role model" thing as a factor either. i'd still say put him in.

OK, after thinking on this all day I think I would say so long as the player committed no crimes which are rights violations, meaning I don't care if they get popped for weed or anything like that, they get in.

I mean just as an anecdote 6-time champion Charles Haley was a disgusting shit and he's in, Not much happened as I remember off the field or outside the locker room. He hurt no one that I know of. So he should be in. Same as TO. Great players no matter their personalities.

OJ is an interesting case. One of the greatest players of all time. Found not guilty of murder but did major time for robbery in Nevada. I guess I just don't really know yet.

But if lean one way, I would say on-field performance should be the key to entry to immortality enshrined in the HOF.

Hell, Rodney should be in, but he gets his head caved in over the dirty player thing but he has such great numbers I can't see why he's not in.
 
things that would make me not put a guy in would be stuff that was a violation against football, the game itself. such as throwing games, things like that.
 
things that would make me not put a guy in would be stuff that was a violation against football, the game itself. such as throwing games, things like that.

Oh, good call. Like Pete Rose in baseball. The all-time leader in hits but bet on the games he managed that has a lifetime ban from the HOF. Hadn't thought of that.
 
darren sharper is a perfect example of why character matters....

ray lewis would be too, however, he played for the ravens... i personally believe Biscotti and Goodell are the Beecher/Keller of the NFL... Goodell does everything he can to protect that franchise, hence no flak for lewis on his enshrinement...

character matters, or at least it should...
 
Oh, good call. Like Pete Rose in baseball. The all-time leader in hits but bet on the games he managed that has a lifetime ban from the HOF. Hadn't thought of that.
Just getting ready to make that call. Also, you could throw Michael Jordan in that category, the guy wasn’t exactly the role model his PR people made him out to be.
 
I went with "depends". The category not the adult diaper.

Corey Dillon was a major problem child in college. He once took on a squad of cops and won. Problems as long as your arm, but as a pro he didn't do anything worse than throwing his shoulder pads into the stands after his last game in Cincy. I think that explains my point. He was an angry dude that kept a lid on it off the field. He's a borderline HOF'er and might never get the call, but it shouldn't be because of what he did when he was 19.

On the other hand, Antonio Brown should be eligible, but never, ever get the votes just because of the special kind of asshole he has been. I like the idea of him griping about how he was misunderstood and mistreated for the rest of his life but nobody gives a shit.
This. Unquestionably. Whether they ever would have gotten in or not, Dillon shouldn't be kept out, Hernandez could never be considered.

Cheers
 
We can't judge people on character because a) the NFL probably has more than its fair share of sadists, who enjoy injuring others but hide it and b) transgressions may or may not have extenuating circumstances.

To give you an example from my line of work - broadly "social work".

I've met plenty of fundamentally OK people who got mixed up in bad things and who've made amends. I've also met some utterly immoral and horrible people who are "pillars of society".

Edit: I'd probably exclude people convicted of serious violent offences.
 
In all honesty, it bugs me more that the NFL never looked into Lewis' deer antler spray thing or Peyton's hgh more than their off field stuff(as far as nfl H.O.F. legitimacy is concerned).
 
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