Former NFL player Darren Sharper was convicted on a several different counts of sexual assault in four different states and was sentenced to nine years in federal prison. Despite all that, Sharper is still eligible to be elected into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. His numbers would certainly put him in there but would he actually get votes?!
TMZ Sports spoke with Joe Horrigan — Executive V.P. of the Selection Process for the Pro Football HOF — who says there’s nothing in the bylaws preventing a convicted criminal from being enshrined in Canton.
Horrigan says as long as the player has been out of the league for 5 years and has made at least 1 All-Pro team that person is eligible.
That being said, the Exec. V.P. says it’s possible voters will take Sharper’s crimes into account when voting for the former New Orleans Saints superstar — but they’re not supposed to.
Sharper played 14 seasons in the league and was a 6-time All-Pro. He’s also widely considered one of the best safeties of his era.
Sharper last played in 2010, so he would be eligible as early as 2016.
If they actually vote him in, it would cause a firestorm and scrutiny over their election process; something I’m sure the HOF wants to avoid.
