When the Pro Football Hall of Fame named its semifinalists for the Class of 2022, Patriots coach Bill Belichick was glad to see two of his players, Vince Wilfork and Richard Seymour, on the list. But Belichick also questioned how the Hall of Fame voters pick the candidates, and said one particular name was notable for its absence.
That name was Rodney Harrison, who Belichick says is very worthy of a bust in Canton.
“Hall of Fame’s out of my control, and since there’s no criteria for the Hall of Fame, it’s really hard to even have a conversation about it,” Belichick said. “Because they’re not basing it on anything. It’s your opinion of a great player, my opinion of a great player, someone else’s opinion of a great player, I don’t know what that means. Is it how many years they played? How many All-Pros they had? How many championships they won? Is it individual stats? You can make it whatever you want to make it. So there’s no criteria. You can make a case for everybody and ultimately the voters have to decide.”
Belichick called Wilfork and Seymour “the two best defensive linemen that I’ve coached” and added, “In my Hall of Fame, those two guys are there without a doubt.” But Belichick is clearly frustrated that Harrison isn’t even a semifinalist.
“I think that Rodney Harrison, 100 percent,” Belichick said. “I’ve coached some of the other safeties that have been enshrined in the Hall of Fame, and not taking anything away from them, but certainly Rodney Harrison belongs in that conversation, and he belongs in the conversation with other players that are already there.”
Harrison won’t get into the Hall of Fame in 2022, but he has a very strong recommendation from his future Hall of Fame coach.