Deion Sanders: Pro Football Hall of Fame Is Becoming a ‘Free-for-All’

The Pro Football Hall of Fame welcomed a new class last weekend, but not everyone thinks all those former players are deserving. Deion Sanders, who was elected to the Hall of Fame in the class of 2011, believes Canton is letting too many players in.

“The Hall of Fame ain’t the Hall of Fame no more,” Sanders said. “I love it. I respect it. I admire it. I think all the guys who are inducted definitely are deserving, but it needs to be a different color jacket. My jacket’s gotta be a different color.”

Sanders, the legendary former NFL cornerback and current Jackson State coach, said he thinks there needs to be a clear separation between levels of Hall of Famers based on their accomplishments.

“There needs to be a starting 11. There needs to be an upper room. My head don’t belong with some of these other heads that’s in the Hall of Fame,” he added, referring to the Hall of Fame busts. “A lot of ya’ll Hall of Famers are thinking the same thing. This thing is becoming a free-for-all now, man.”

As for what the Hall of Fame criteria should be, Sanders explained his thought process for which players he would allow in.

“It’s people that change the game, that’s what the Hall of Fame is,” he said. “Not ‘I played good, I had a good little run, I gave you 3-4 good years.’ No, game changers.” 

This is not a new opinion for Sanders, as he had a similar explanation in February for why he believes Devin Hester belongs in the Hall.

“This Hall of Fame thing,” he told Sports Illustrated’s Mitch Goldich, “has gotten skewed a little bit, where normalcy is being applauded. That wasn’t the way it was back in the day. Normalcy is in. There’s nothing about Devin Hester that’s normal.” 

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