The NFL Hall of Fame is the ultimate honor for every football player. But only a tiny minority actually make it into Canton’s hallowed halls. It’s an incredibly selective process, yet somehow there are still controversial picks. Several athletes should arguably be removed from the Hall.
Some of these were simply not good enough. Their stats are overblown or they were just famous enough at the time. Others, like O.J. Simpson, committed horrible acts outside of football. Unlike baseball, football doesn’t take this into account. Check out 30 NFL football players who arguably don’t deserve their spots in the Hall of Fame below via Stadium Talk.
30. Frank Gatski
Gatski was a long-serving center for the Cleveland Browns. But there’s a sense that his Hall of Fame induction reflected this. It feels more like a participation trophy than other NFL players of his generation. The fact was that he didn’t make his first Pro Bowl appearance until 1956. That was the tenth year of his career but only his sixth in the NFL.
However, it says a lot that he didn’t make the Hall of Fame until almost 30 years after his retirement (via New York Times). There’s no doubting his professionalism because he never missed games or practice. But the Hall of Fame is all about the quality of the player. Perhaps voters removed this from the equation when they elected him. Like it or not, they shouldn’t have done so.