Deion Sanders courts controversy, claims Hall of Fame voters getting ‘soft’
Deion Sanders has never been one to shy away from opinions. That's why he was so successful on the field across football and baseball and why he succeeded as the coach of Jackson State. He even went to the NFL Honors yesterday to pitch his new project in Colorado.
In his latest comments, he took a direct shot at Hall of Fame voter Peter King. He has been critical of them before by saying that he thinks the voters are getting 'soft'. Asked what he meant by that, he elaborated:
"What do you call a Hall of Famer?.. He changed the game! That's what I was told."
The conversation then meandered into specific positions where King said that by that metric, guards would not make it into the Hall of Fame, as they have limited effect on the game compared to some other positions. Sanders countered by giving the example of Pro Football Hall-of-Famer Larry Allen.
When asked how he would go about deciding on new inductees, Coach Prime said that he would let the game decide and create an 'upper room' for that. When asked later in the interview who that would consist of, he said that it would be the players, as they know how to evaluate others who play the game.
He also took issue with having a quota that they have to fill, saying that voters should not be under pressure just to fill up slots, as they have to pick five players every year.
Deion Sanders makes case for inclusion of Devin Hester
One player Deion Sanders is insistent on deserving of being in the Hall of Fame is Devin Hester. Hester is someone Sanders has mentored, and it was Prime Time's non-offensive touchdown record that he broke.
Devin Hester’s breaking Deion Sanders punt return td record on TNF https://t.co/GFRY81VXUu
Hester is considered the greatest punt returner in the history of the game. He holds the record for most punts returned for touchdowns and most combined kickoffs and punts returned for a touchdown.
Deion Sanders, himself a Hall-of-Famer, insisted that Hester changed the game and seemed apoplectic that he has not been inducted yet. That was something Peter King agreed with too. However, as justification for why he might not yet be in it, he said that it might be because of the number of snaps Hester has played in his career.
Deion Sanders said NFL Hall Of Fame voters are getting soft & said Devin Hester is supposed to be in the Hall Of Fame 💯 https://t.co/b4XobEKCE6
However, based on Deion Sanders' evaluation, he changed the game and therefore should be enshrined in Canton.
Suffice to say, there will always be controversy whenever someone is selected or ignored for a new class in the Hall of Fame, but giving players more power in that process might not be the worst idea.