Joined: Sun Oct 17, 2004 7:54 am Posts: 10731 Location: The back of a Volkswagen
Quote:
COLLINSWORTH CALLS FOR TILLMAN TO BE IN THE HALL Posted by Mike Florio on January 3, 2009, 7:05 p.m. EST
During Saturday’s broadcast of the Falcons-Cardinals playoff game, NBC’s Cris Collinsworth made an impromptu pitch for inclusion in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. “He’s gonna come up this year for a Hall of Fame vote,” Collinsworth said. “And if Pat Tillman doesn’t belong in the Hall of Fame, who does? Here’s a guy that turned down millions of dollars, a three-year, $36 million deal, to go fight for our country. I hope that that is the vote that they will take. This guy is the very essence of what we all hope the NFL and its players will ultimately be.”
We’re prepared to agree with Collinsworth. After we rip him a little.
Collinsworth’s comments seemed to imply that there’s some sort of an ongoing debate as to whether Tillman should get in. There isn’t, and there never has been. Tillman has been eligible for consideration for the Hall of Fame for several years, given that he last played in 2001. So he has been eligible for a couple of years now. But he wasn’t included on the lengthy laundry list of preliminary candidates for the 2007 class at Canton. Or in 2008. Or in 2009.
We also were amazed by Collinsworth’s suggestion that Tillman turned down a three-year, $36 million contract to join the military. (In this regard, Collinsworth merely misspoke — it was a $3.6 million deal.)
As to the merits of Collinsworth’s argument, we completely agree. The Hall of Fame should celebrate players like Tillman for their off-field endeavors.
However, that’s not the test. The award is based only on what a player does on the field.
So, for the same reason that we have to tolerate the presence of scoundrels like O.J. Simpson, we won’t be able to take our sons and daughters to Canton and show them the busts of men like Tillman.
Maybe that’s the better way to get the powers-that-be to change the rules. It would be very nice to keep the turds out; it would be much better to let the truly good and honorable men in, even if their careers ended early because they realized that the world is a far bigger place than 120 by 53 yards of grass.
Joined: Sat Oct 16, 2004 10:53 pm Posts: 20537 Location: The City Of Trees
I have to say no. It's called the Pro Football Hall of Fame for a reason. If you start discriminating for reasons other than football, it cheapens those football accomplishments it wishes to honor.
Besides, it's not like Pat Tillman hasn't received massive praise in numerous venue. Everyone knows who he was and what he did.
I'm surprised his old friend Jake Plummer hasn't lobbied to get him inducted into the Humanitarian HOF over here.
Joined: Sun Oct 17, 2004 12:47 am Posts: 46000 Location: Reasonville
pearljamfan80 wrote:
Hall of Fame for great human beings? Yes.
perhaps. but, then again, he left $10 million to play football for three years, and his family, to risk his life in afghanistan. some would call that a poor decision.
_________________ No matter how dark the storm gets overhead They say someone's watching from the calm at the edge What about us when we're down here in it? We gotta watch our backs
I didn't catch him saying that, though at other parts of the game I did get to hear them fawning all over him. I have some very strong opinions on this, but they aren't very positive and a sports forum just doesn't seem like the proper place.
_________________ "Socialism never took root in America because the poor see themselves not as an exploited proletariat but as temporarily embarrassed millionaires." -- John Steinbeck
Joined: Thu Apr 13, 2006 3:51 am Posts: 43609 Location: My city smells like Cheerios Gender: Male
corduroy_blazer wrote:
pearljamfan80 wrote:
Hall of Fame for great human beings? Yes.
perhaps. but, then again, he left $10 million to play football for three years, and his family, to risk his life in afghanistan. some would call that a poor decision.
_________________ "No matter how hard you kill Jesus, he would always just come back and hit you twice as hard."
Joined: Sat Oct 16, 2004 11:15 pm Posts: 25452 Location: Under my wing like Sanford & Son Gender: Male
You guys know about the whole cover-up of the fact that he was killed by friendly fire, right? It's a great story but it was actually very tragic and fucked up in the end. Not exactly feel-good material.
_________________ Now that god no longer exists, the desire for another world still remains.
Joined: Tue Nov 23, 2004 1:36 am Posts: 5458 Location: Left field
Orpheus wrote:
You guys know about the whole cover-up of the fact that he was killed by friendly fire, right? It's a great story but it was actually very tragic and fucked up in the end. Not exactly feel-good material.
Fuckin' ironic, no?
_________________ seen it all, not at all can't defend fucked up man take me a for a ride before we leave...
Rise. Life is in motion...
don't it make you smile? don't it make you smile? when the sun don't shine? (shine at all) don't it make you smile?
Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 15 guests
You cannot post new topics in this forum You cannot reply to topics in this forum You cannot edit your posts in this forum You cannot delete your posts in this forum You cannot post attachments in this forum
