Tagliabue Again Misses HOF; Voters Waiting On Labor Situation?

Writers Snub Tagliabue For HOF Consideration For Second Consecutive Year

Former NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue, for the second year in a row, was eliminated from HOF consideration in the first round of balloting, indicating that the "current sports writers voting for the [HOF] aren't in any hurry to punch Tagliabue's ticket," according to Charles Robinson of YAHOO SPORTS. Tagliabue's candidacy was again presented by SI's Peter King, and a group of six voters said that "the focus on Tagliabue lasted an eyelash under 44 minutes, and was far less heated than last year's deliberations." Robinson wrote Tagliabue's candidacy is "largely built on the unparalleled labor peace during his tenure," and if the NFL owners "blow-up the current labor peace that Tagliabue constructed, a cornerstone of his [HOF] resume will have lost some luster." Several voters said that "it has become clear to them that [Commissioner Roger] Goodell is taking steps to clean up a mess left behind by the former commissioner -- steps they believe should have been taken before Tagliabue stepped down. And those steps are being taken to improve the integrity of the game, not just the financial standing of the league" (SPORTS.YAHOO.com, 2/2).  ESPN's Len Pasquarelli wrote Tagliabue's tenure as commissioner "ultimately might be judged by whether NFL owners opt out" of the CBA in November.  Voters "also seemed to indicate that they think Tagliabue ... was not proactive enough in areas such as player discipline and the hiring of minority candidates for head coach positions."  But "given that all his predecessors have gained entry to the Hall of Fame, Tagliabue likely will be enshrined someday" (ESPN.com, 2/2).