The Pro Football Hall of Fame’s new contributor category saw both longtime personnel men Ron Wolf and Bill Polian rubber-stamped for induction last year.
The next candidate in that pipeline might face a tougher road.
The Hall announced that the subcommittee of Hall of Fame selectors has forwarded former 49ers owner Eddie DeBartolo Jr. as this year’s contributor candidate. To be inducted, he’d have to receive 80 percent of the votes in a simple yes-no ballot.
DeBartolo Jr. was a finalist in 2012, 2013 and 2014, but was eliminated from consideration each year during the vote from 15 to 10.
While his success as the owner of the 49ers during their heyday in the 1980s and 1990s is unquestioned (winning five Super Bowls takes care of that), there are also questions about his resume.
After he pleaded guilty to a felony charge of failing to report an extortion attempt during his attempt to acquire a riverboat gambling license in Louisiana, he was suspended for a year by then-commissioner Paul Tagliabue. He never regained control of the team.
DeBartolo has been a regular in Canton, however. When he presented Charles Haley last month, it was the fifth time he took the stage to introduce a Hall of Famer.
The day before next year’s Super Bowl, he’ll find out if he ever gets to join them.
