Names Around Miami: Tagliabue Fails To Make Hall Of Fame

Tagliabue Fails To Make Pro Football HOF On First Try

Former NFL Commissioner PAUL TAGLIABUE was eliminated after the first round of voting for this year’s Pro Football HOF class. Forty media members comprise the panel of voters. The first vote was to narrow the list of candidates from 17 to 10, but 11 made the cut due to a tie; Tagliabue was not among those 11. The six candidates voted into the HOF were Browns OG GENE HICKERSON, Cowboys WR MICHAEL IRVIN, Oilers/Titans OL BRUCE MATTHEWS, Lions TE CHARLIE SANDERS, Bills RB THURMAN THOMAS and Cardinals CB ROGER WEHRLI (NFL Network, 2/3). ESPN.com’s Len Pasquarelli wrote two reasons “seemed to scuttle Tagliabue’s chances.” Former NFL Commissioner PETE ROZELLE was not elected until his eighth time on the ballot, and some felt the “final chapter of [Tagliabue’s] celebrated tenure is not yet really completed” (ESPN.com, 2/3). SI’s Paul Zimmerman: “I think the feeling in the room was that it was simply too early” (SI.com, 2/3). N.Y. Daily News columnist Mike Lupica said Tagliabue “should have made the Pro Football Hall of Fame (Saturday) for plenty of reasons, but the best will always be the dignity he showed and the sense of proportion he showed the week after September 11, 2001” (“The Sports Reporters,” ESPN, 2/4).

GLAZER UPDATE: In St. Petersburg, Rick Stroud reported Buccaneers Owner MALCOLM GLAZER’s recovery from a series of strokes last April “is said to be slow and tedious,” and there is no indication from team or league officials “that he will soon be able to resume his involvement with the Bucs or the NFL.” However, family and team officials “remain optimistic his condition will improve.” Due to his health, Glazer no longer serves on the league’s finance committee. Falcons Owner ARTHUR BLANK said, “The last time I spoke to [Bucs Exec VP BRYAN GLAZER] ... he said [Malcolm] was doing a little better” (ST. PETERSBURG TIMES, 2/3).

REEBOK: Red Sox DH and Reebok endorser DAVID ORTIZ visited the Reebok suite at Super Bowl XLI along with musician DADDY YANKEE, Seahawks WR DEION BRANCH and QB MATT HASSELBECK, Titans QB VINCE YOUNG and Bengals WR CHAD JOHNSON “to pick up some new gear” (BOSTON HERALD, 2/5).

BUCHANAN ARRESTED: Former NFLer RAY BUCHANAN was arrested Thursday morning by the Broward County (FL) Sheriff’s Office at Ft. Lauderdale-Hollywood Int’l Airport on a Nevada warrant for “three felony counts of writing checks without sufficient funds.” Buchanan was in South Florida to work with Fox Sports Radio for Super Bowl XLI (MIAMI HERALD, 2/3).