Vince Wilfork, Richard Seymour Named Semifinalists For Hall Of Fame; Rodney Harrison Not On List
BOSTON (CBS) -- The Pro Football Hall of Fame announced its 26 semifinalists for the class of 2022. Two prominent Patriots were on that list, while another member of the Patriots Hall of Fame was not.
Richard Seymour was named a semifinalist for the fifth time, while Vince Wilfork was named a semifinalist for the first time. This is Wilfork's first year or eligibility for the Hall of Fame.
One former Patriots notably absent from the list was Rodney Harrison, who was a semifinalist a year ago. With seven players in their first year of eligibility making the cut, Harrison did not make it. Harrison earned votes of support from Tom Brady and Mike Vrabel this week.
Running back Fred Taylor, who spent the final two years of his career with the Patriots, was also among the semifinalists.
The list of 26 semifinalists was made from the previous list of 123 nominees. The list will later be trimmed to 15 players, and Hall of Fame voters will debate and vote for their selections in the days leading up to the Super Bowl in February.
The complete list of modern-era semifinalists is below. An asterisk denotes a first-year eligible player.
Eric Allen, CB
Jared Allen, DE
Willie Anderson, T
Ronde Barber, CB-S
Anquan Boldin*, WR
Tony Boselli, T
LeRoy Butler, S
Eddie George*, RB
Devin Hester*, PR-KR-WR
Torry Holt, WR
Andre Johnson*, WR
Robert Mathis*, DE-LB
Sam Mills, LB
Richard Seymour, DE-DT
Steve Smith*, WR
Steve Tasker, ST-WR
Fred Taylor, RB
Zach Thomas, LB
Hines Ward, WR
DeMarcus Ware*, LB-DE
Ricky Watters, RB
Reggie Wayne, WR
Vince Wilfork*, DT
Patrick Willis, LB
Darren Woodson, S
Bryant Young, DT