It didn’t take long for others to want jewelry, once the Pro Football Hall of Fame opened Pandora’s box.
After the Hall of Fame decided to award a gold jacket and ring to the family of the late Pat Bowlen, who passed away after his election but before his induction, others inevitably wanted to see the material representations go to the families of those inducted posthumously.
Via Paul Gutierrez of ESPN.com, Raiders owner Mark Davis said he was happy for the Bowlen family, and hopes others get the same treatment.
“David Baker and the Hall of Fame made the right decision, and I believe it opens the door to reconsidering awarding rings and jackets to the families of all deceased enshrinees,” Davis said. “It opens the door to making it right for other families, like Junior Seau’s and Kenny Stabler’s.
“There’s no reason I should have my father’s ring and Bruce Allen does not have his. As a new member of the NFL owners Hall of Fame Committee, I’ll continue to advocate for the families.”
Davis has been banging this drum for years, but the Bowlen decision gave him a fresh opportunity to beat it again.
Davis inherited his father Al’s ring in 2011. Allen’s father George died in 1990 and was enshrined in 2002.
The Hall reversed course on its previous policy of not awarding the jackets and rings, using the excuse that they were in the “process” of creating Bowlen’s when they died. Previously, they held firm when Seau was elected in 2015 and Stabler in 2016, after they had passed.
Davis suggesting he’d use a little influence to put pressure on the decision is predictable, but likely effective, if he can round up a few other owners and the league itself to join his cause. Of course, if the league really wants it done, they could tap into their far greater financial resources, since the Hall is run independently and doesn’t have the same kind of budget.
