I’m a Pro Football Hall of Fame voter. Stunning changes were necessary | Opinion

We’ve heard that mantra repeatedly when it comes to the merits of instant replay, needing to rule on something like a controversial catch, a dash down the sideline or plunge at the goal line.

Well, with the massive overhaul of the process for selecting who gets a bust in Canton, it’s obvious the brain trust at the Pro Football Hall of Fame is singing a similar tune.

Is this all about Bill Belichick? Not totally.

Certainly, the heat on the Hall was intense earlier this year when the coach with six Super Bowls on his resume (in addition to Spygate) was bypassed for first-ballot election. Amid the furor, Jim Porter, the Hall’s executive director, indicated that a comprehensive review of the process would ensue.

And so it is finished, with the stunning results revealed on Friday.

The selection committee, of which I’ve had the privilege of serving on for 29 years, has been cut in half. The seniors category is history. The charge for many selectors to represent a specific team has been scrapped.

The intent is for a cleaner process with rules that are better defined. And the Hall’s brain trust came out of an exhaustive, deep dive into…

Original source: https://www.usatoday.com/sports/