Let’s roll back the clock to Aug. 6, 2011. That’s when Shannon Sharpe delivered one of the most riveting induction speeches in the history of the Pro Football Hall of Fame with a bottom-line message for the ages.
“I’m the only football player that’s in the Hall of Fame, and the second-best player in my own family,” Shannon declared, prompting a standing ovation from the crowd and tears from his presenter and big brother, Sterling.
“If fate had dealt you a different hand,” he added, speaking to Sterling, “there is no question, no question in my mind we would have become the first brothers to be elected to the Hall of Fame.”
Shannon, who became the 267th Hall of Famer, propelled by the three Super Bowl rings he won with the Denver Broncos and Baltimore Ravens, went on to urge the Hall of Fame’s selection committee to take up the case for his brother.
“All I can do is ask in the most humblest way I know, is that the next time you go into that room or start making a list, look at Sterling Sharpe’s accomplishments,” he said.
Well, 14 years later and 31 years since Sterling was forced to retire after seven superb NFL seasons with the Green Bay Packers due to a neck injury, it has happened. Shannon and Sterling, who will become the 382nd enshrinee on Saturday, are the first set of brothers elected for busts in Canton.
Maybe there will be more. The Kelces, Travis and Jason, will be in the mix someday. The Watts, J.J. and T.J., could have a shot if the younger brother keeps up his pace. And a few months ago, Eli Manning, Peyton’s younger brother, was a Hall finalist in his first year of eligibility.
Yet 25,000 men have played in the NFL since it was established in 1920 and it hasn’t happened for a pair of brothers – until now.
What are the odds? In the case of the Sharpe brothers, three years apart, their distinction is underscored by their remarkable journey from rural Georgia, where they were raised by late grandparents, Barney and Mary Porter, challenged by poverty.
When I listened to the brothers on Shannon’s “Club Shay Shay” podcast this week, reflecting on the conditions they endured growing up in a 1,000-square-foot cinder block home with cement floors and without running water, it added extra layers of appreciation for their achievements.
Shannon, whose loquacious persona propelled him to become a media megastar after football, is hardly dropping hyperbole when he calls Sterling’s Hall of Fame election the “proudest moment of my life.”
After all, Sterling – the hero and role model whose every word he hung on – once had the task of taking a young Shannon to the outhouse in the middle of the night.
Shannon, who gave his big brother his first Super Bowl ring, certainly did his best in keeping his brother’s candidacy alive. I’ve been a Hall selector for nearly 30 years and in recent years when I’d reach out to Shannon to get his take on one NFL topic after another, he would routinely end the exchange with a reminder about his brother’s worthiness for a Hall call.
The suggestions never came off as pushy, out of bounds or over the top and were nowhere in the ballpark of some of the campaigning for candidates that come our way as selectors. Instead, Shannon’s efforts came off as authentic … even as he preached to the choir about Sterling’s case.
That it wasn’t automatic for Sterling – the first receiver to post 100 receptions in back-to-back seasons, an All-Decade choice for the 1990s with a “Triple Crown” milestone in 1992 – was a function of his injury-shortened career more than anything. It certainly helped Sterling’s chances that Terrell Davis, Tony Boselli and Kenny Easley earned Hall status with their own injury-shortened careers, yet his case stood on its own merits.
Sterling is part of a relatively small class that includes cornerback Eric Allen, defensive end Jared Allen (no relation to Eric) and tight end Antonio Gates, who has his own distinctive “first” with his honor. Gates is the only player chosen for the Hall of Fame who didn’t play football in college, when he starred as a basketball player.
Shannon, though, has one regret about this long-awaited moment for his brother that underscores the twists and turns of life. On Wednesday, The Athletic reported that ESPN won’t be bringing Shannon back to the network for his role on the popular “First Take” show – dumping the former tight end who was suspended since April, when a former romantic partner filed a civil suit that alleged sexual assault and battery, seeking $50 million in damages. The suit was recently settled out of court.
Talk about tough timing. Shannon’s big brother finally gets his Hall call … while news emerges about his personal setback.
“They did what they feel they needed to do and I’m at peace with that,” Shannon said on Wednesday night on “The Nightcap” podcast he hosts with former NFL receiver Chad Johnson. “But I just wish thing could have waited until Monday because I hate the fact that I’m overshadowing my brother.”
Then again, it’s a different type of fate. The timing is another element of the moment.
Shannon needs not sweat it. Not now. Generations from now, the legacy of the Sharpe brothers reflected with their busts in Canton will reflect their impact as two of the greatest players who ever played pro football.
And given the journey that includes Sterling’s extended wait, a lot of peace comes with that.
Contact Jarrett Bell at jbell@usatoday.com or follow on social media: On X: @JarrettBell
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