Nine nominees announced for Patriots 2022 Hall of Fame induction

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A list of nine figures in New England Patriots history announced Wednesday will receive further consideration to be inducted into the team's Hall of Fame in 2022.

The list, which includes seven former players and two former coaches, will ultimately be whittled to three finalists before only one is selected as this year's inductee by a fan vote.

Vince Wilfork, Mike Vrabel, Wes Welker, Lawyer Milloy, Logan Mankins, Julius Adams and John Smith were among players nominated, along with coaches Bill Parcells and Chuck Fairbanks, by a panel consisting of team personnel and local media.

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Richard Seymour, who was announced in February as part of the 2022 Pro Football Hall of Fame class, was selected to the Patriots Hall of Fame last season, along with longtime cheerleading director Tracy Sormanti.

Three of the nominees won at least one Super Bowl with the Patriots, led by Vrabel's three (XXXVI, XXXVIII and XXXIX), followed by Wilfork's two (XXXIX and XLIX) and Milloy (XXXVI). Welker and Mankins appeared in two Super Bowls with New England (XLII and XLVI) but were never part of a championship roster.

Wilfork, Welker and Mankins were among 118 modern-era nominees for the Pro Football Hall of Fame last year.

Vrabel, now head coach of the Tennessee Titans, has been a finalist for the Patriots Hall five times. Parcells, who led the Patriots to an appearance in Super Bowl XXXI, has been a finalist four times.

Fairbanks coached the Patriots from 1973-78, guiding the team to their first two postseason appearances in the NFL.

Adams and Smith both played for the team in the 1970s and '80s. Adams, a defensive end, is tied with Matthew Slater for the third-most games played in team history, while Smith, a kicker, was probably the most well-known player to rock No. 1 for the Patriots prior to Cam Newton in 2020.

In order to be considered for the Patriots Hall, players and coaches must be out of football for at least four seasons -- meaning Tom Brady won't be eligible until (at least) 2027. Same as Bill Belichick. Wouldn't that be something if the Hall made another exception to its normal practice of one inductee per year for those two at the same time?

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