Pro Football Hall of Fame head coach Tony Dungy was among the biggest names to lose their vote in the revamped selection process for enshrinement in Canton.
The Hall announced earlier this month that it was changing its election procedure, cutting the electorate from 50 members to a 28-person committee, including three non-voting members.
Dungy was elected to the Hall in 2016 following a 13-year coaching career with the Buccaneers and the Colts, including a Super Bowl title with Indianapolis in 2006. He also worked as a studio analyst for NBC following his retirement.
Hall of Fame receiver James Lofton (Class of 2003) and longtime executive Bill Polian (2015) also were among the cuts, with the remainder mostly various media members, including ESPN sideline reporter Lisa Salters.
Hall of Fame quarterback Dan Fouts kept his vote in the reduction, while recent inductees Jared Allen and Will Shields were added to the voting list this year.
“[The voters are] charged with the vital task of continuing to be sure that new enshrinees are the finest the game has produced,” the Hall announced in a statement.
The selection process came under fire last year when Bill Belichick was not voted in on his first year of eligibility despite winning six Super Bowl titles as head coach of the Patriots.
Dungy refused to disclose his vote earlier this year during the Belichick controversy.
“I’m not going to disclose that,” Dungy said during NBC’s Super Bowl pregame show. “When you come on the committee, you take an oath that you’re not going to discuss any of the debates, anything that happened there. I’m not going to put any of my teammates under the bus who they voted for, who I voted for.”
Rob Gronkowski, Ben Roethlisberger, Adrian Peterson and Richard Sherman will be among the first-time eligible candidates to be considered for induction for the Class of 2027.
The remainder of the altered voting committee consists of current or former media members: Howard Balzer, Jarrett Bell, Dave Birkett, Vic Carucci, Mike Chappell, Pete Dougherty, Jeff Duncan, Scott Garceau, Bob Glauber, Vahe Gregorian, Nicki Jhabvala, Lindsay Jones, Ira Kaufman, Ross Ketover, NFL Films, Sam Kouvaris, Jeff Legwold, Rob Maaddi, Gary Myers, Sal Paolantonio, Dan Pompei, Mike Sando, Jim Trotter, Calvin Watkins, Charean Williams and Eric Williams.
