A finalist for the Pro Football Hall of Fame for the fourth straight time, Cincinnati Bengals legend Willie Anderson was again denied at the gates.
The news was revealed at the NFL Honors on Thursday night.
The full class:
- Jared Allen
- Sterling Sharpe
- Eric Allen
- Antonio Gates
There is a small silver lining this time. As Geoff Hobson of Bengals.com pointed out, a close voting result means Anderson is automatically one of the 15 finalists for next year’s class.
Otherwise, a recent change to the voting procedure to keep the Hall of Fame “elite” produced the smallest class in 20 years.
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In his 12th year of eligibility, Anderson continued to look like a top snub. He arrived in 1996 as a PFWA All-Rookie and went on to be a first-team All-Pro three times with four Pro Bowls and is a Bengals Ring of Honor member. He helped revolutionize the importance of right tackle in the modern era and was the best at his position during his time there.