NFL Hall of Fame

The NFL Hall of Fame is located in Canton, Ohio, and is comprised of 387 members as of 2026, including the inductees for this year. Canton is in eastern Ohio, located about 60 miles directly south of Cleveland.

Eligibility

A former player must be fully retired for five years before becoming eligible. If a player is on an active roster after retiring, but before the five years end, the clock restarts; an example of someone in this position is Greatest Conservative Sports Star Philip Rivers, who was a semifinalist for the Class of 2026 but came out of retirement to sign with the Indianapolis Colts and was on the roster for the final four games (as such, he will not be eligible for consideration again until the Class of 2031).

A former coach need only be retired.

Any other person (such as an owner, broadcaster, etc.) may be nominated while still in his/her current position.

Controversies

There are some notable omissions in this Hall of Fame, likely for political reasons, such as conservative Herschel Walker. Other phenomenal NFL stars were delayed entry for unexplained reasons, probably due to their outspokenly Christian faith, such as Tim Brown and Art Monk. Bill Belichick, who endorsed Trump in 2016, was denied entry in his first year of eligibility; similarly, Robert Kraft (also a Trump supporter) was also denied entry after first appearing on the ballot.

Questionable inclusions in this Hall of Fame are Joe Namath and Troy Aikman (though, for the latter, his induction may be more due to his broadcasting career as partner with Joe Buck).

It is the sports media and some underachieving former players who pick the Hall of Fame inductees each year, and they can be a liberal and jealous group.