IRVING – Cowboys wide receiver Michael Irvin's latest brush with the law
has drawn mixed reactions from several who will probably determine his
Pro Football Hall of Fame fate.
If Irvin's name is still on the ballot in February, his recent arrest on
a misdemeanor charge of possession of drug paraphernalia will be fresh
on the minds of the Hall's 39-member selection panel.
Some members of the panel said they would uphold a bylaw specifically
designed to prevent voters from considering what a candidate has done
off the field.
Others said that bylaw would not shield Irvin from extra scrutiny.
"To me, anyone who considers events like this, and if they can admit in
their own conscious that this caused them to vote no, they ought to
resign from the committee," said Sports Illustrated NFL
writer and panel member Peter King.
Former Giants linebacker Lawrence Taylor was the subject of one of the
most spirited debates in the history of the selection process when he
was inducted in 1999. Each of the 11 panel members reached by phone
Monday alluded to Tayor, whose off-the-field exploits often overshadowed
his illustrious playing career.
"If Taylor can get in, why can't Irvin?" said panel member and
Minneapolis Star-Tribune columnist Sid Hartman.
Longtime San Diego Union-Tribune columnist and panel member Jerry
Magee said he was one of the voters who argued against Taylor in that
meeting. He said he "couldn't bring himself" to vote for him.
"I don't think you have to be in the Boy Scouts of America," Magee said.
"But I really do think there ought to be some type of conduct code
that's in place."
Irvin made it to the final ballot last year, and Magee said he would
vote against Irvin for the second straight year for different reasons
than Irvin's conduct.
"This won't sway my vote one bit because I don't think he's a Hall of
Famer in the first place," Magee said. "Every time he went deep, he was
pushing off."
Sports Illustrated's Paul Zimmerman, another longtime member,
said he voted for Taylor in 1999 and wouldn't consider Irvin's
off-the-field behavior. He said the biggest factor in voting comes down
to who players are up against.
And Irvin will be up against a 2006 class that is especially strong.
"Do I think [Irvin] should go ahead of Warren Moon? No." Zimmerman said.
"Ahead of Reggie White? No. Ahead of Troy Aikman? No. The two seniors
candidates? Well, I have to think that through."
Hall of Fame classes can contain as few as three inductees and as many
as six. Candidates need 80 percent approval by the selection panel to be
elected into the Hall.
Kent Somers of the Arizona Republic will vote for the first time
this year. He said he could see Irvin's arrest playing a role in his
decision.
"It's definitely something I would take into consideration," Somers
said. "I would've been on the fence already, but something like this can
help you decide between two players."
Steve Davis and Brad Townsend also contributed to this report.
E-mail mmosley@dallasnews.com
Arizona: Kent Somers, Arizona Republic
Atlanta: Furman Bisher, Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Baltimore: Scott Garceau, WMAR-TV
Buffalo: Mark Gaughan, Buffalo News
Carolina: Charles Chandler, Charlotte Observer
Chicago: Don Pierson, Chicago Tribune
Cincinnati: Chick Ludwig, Dayton Daily News
Cleveland: Tony Grossi, Cleveland Plain Dealer
Dallas: Rick Gosselin, The Dallas Morning News
Denver: Jeff Legwold, Rocky Mountain News
Detroit: Jerry Green, The Detroit News
Green Bay: Cliff Christl, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Houston: John McClain, Houston Chronicle
Indianapolis: Mike Chappell, Indianapolis Star
Jacksonville: Sam Kouvaris, WJXT-TV
Kansas City: Bob Gretz, KCFX (Overland Park, Kan.)
Miami: Edwin Pope, Miami Herald
Minnesota: Sid Hartman, Minneapolis Star-Tribune
New England: Ron Borges, Boston Globe
New Orleans: Pete Finney, New Orleans Times-Picayune
New York (Giants): Vinny DiTrani, Bergen Record
New York (Jets): Paul Zimmerman, Sports Illustrated
Oakland: Frank Cooney, The Sports Xchange
Philadelphia: Paul Domowitch, Philadelphia Daily News
Pittsburgh: Ed Bouchette, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
St. Louis: Bernie Miklasz, St. Louis Post-Dispatch
San Diego: Jerry Magee, San Diego Union Tribune
San Francisco: Ira Miller, San Francisco Chronicle
Seattle: John Clayton, ESPN
Tampa Bay: Ira Kaufman, Tampa Tribune
Tennessee: David Climer, The Tennessean
Washington: Len Shapiro, Washington Post
PFWA: David Elfin, Washington Times
At Large: Jarrett Bell, USA Today; Dave Goldberg, Associated
Press; Peter King, Sports Illustrated; Bob Oates, Los Angeles Times; Len
Pasquarelli, ESPN.com; Mike Wilbon, Washington Post
