Deion Sanders thinks the Pro Football Hall of Fame is watered down

Former NFL great and Pro Football Hall of Fame player, Deion Sanders thinks that the Pro Football Hall of Fame is watered down, and I tend to agree.

This year the Miami Dolphins are hoping that Zach Thomas gets into the Pro Football Hall of Fame but the great Deion Sanders believes that the HOF is not what it should be.

While Sanders believes that the HOF is not what it should be, he doesn’t name names when it comes to who should or shouldn’t be in the Hall of Fame, but he made it known that he doesn’t agree with the current set up.

Speaking on the Dan Patrick show, Sanders had this to say about the Hall of Fame.

"“What is a Hall of Famer now? Is it a guy who played a long time?” Sanders said. “It’s so skewed now. Once upon a time, a Hall of Famer was a player who changed the darn game, who made you want to reach in your pocket and pay your admission to see that guy play. That’s not a Hall of Famer anymore. Every Tom, Dick and Harry, you’re a Hall of Famer, you’re a Hall of Famer, you’re a Hall of Famer. They let everybody in this thing. It’s not exclusive anymore. And I don’t like it.” – via ProFootballTalk.com."

Personally? I tend to agree. 100%.

In a year that will see 15 members inducted under the Centennial Class and five more inducted under the normal voting methods, 20 players will enter the Hall of Fame this year. That being said, I think this whole thing is watered down. The thought of who should go in has been changed by the process of “media” personalities being inducted. This year alone both Jimmy Johnson and Bill Cowher will be inducted. Would they have been if they were not members of the media? It can be debated.

For me, it started to simmer when Michael Irvin was elected. It took him three tries to get in but other WR’s may have been more worthy. Add the off-field issues and you wonder if his election was decided because he made friends in the media where he worked post-career.

Years ago I wondered if Zach Thomas was a Hall of Fame LB. After Brian Urlacher got elected on his first year of eligibility, that question became a certainty.

I have walked through the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton and there is something amazing about seeing the busts of NFL legends but I also saw that the classes got watered down the further you went along the wall of busts. It made you think about which of those players were truly deserving.

I agree 100% with Deion Sanders, the HOF is watered down and it doesn’t carry the same stigma it used to. That is a shame. When you have to question the validity of a player’s impact on the game, it sucks. Stats seem to be more important and in this era of football, most stats are watered down considerably by the league’s rules.

Players who deserve to get in may never get in because they don’t belong to the click of media writers who cover the game. I probably won’t go back and tour the facility in Canton, it doesn’t have the draw it once did. The voters have an agenda and there are simply too many going in that really are not worthy of that honor.