Pro Football Hall of Fame voter calls for what Bengals fans desire after Ken Anderson and Willie Anderson were snubbed once again
Cincinnati’s franchise legends were kept out of the Hall of Fame in 2026.
Ken Anderson and Willie Anderson should already be members of the Pro Football Hall of Fame. That they are still subjected to being snubbed from the process is simply asinine, and one of many clear signs that process of getting deserving candidates in needs a major reworking.
Both Anderson’s were kept out of the 2026 class that was revealed Thursday night at NFL Honors. Ken was a first-time senior finalist, and Willie was a modern-era finalist for the fifth consecutive year. There’s definite hope the latter eventually gets in as he keeps knocking on the door year after year, but the former has been eligible for decades and fell short in his first time making this far as a senior finalist.
The senior Anderson’s omission, however, isn’t getting all the headlines. Former New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick was kept out as a first-ballot candidate. He was among the same group of finalists with Anderson, and only one of the five, former San Francisco 49ers running Roger Craig, made it through.
The process doesn’t seem to have many fans, including at least one of the 50 Hall of Fame voters.
Hall of Fame voter calls for change in voting for senior finalists
Seniors like Anderson have been subjected to a relatively new voting process. Over the last two years, just two of the 10 total finalists have gotten enough support from the committee of selectors, which includes The Ringer’s Lindsay Jones. Belichick’s snub combined with the reality of picking between players, coaches, and contributors is why Jones wants change to occur.
“This process used to be a simple up-down vote but was changed two years ago to this current format that forces voters to pick three of five. I think we can say now that it isn’t working. Pitting the coach, contributor, and three seniors against each other in a zero-sum game means we are not electing the best of the best. We now have two years’ worth of evidence to show that this process is failing that entire group of finalists and making all of us look silly.” — The Ringer’s Lindsay Jones
It’s certainly leading to silly results. Canton will only be welcoming five inductees this year after just four last year. It’s the lowest two-year total in over 20 years.
Exclusivity matters, but to this extent? Quite ridiculous.
Cincinnati only has two Hall of Famers enshrined. Anthony Munoz got the call in 1998, and Ken Riley was posthumously inducted 25 years later in 2023.
Both Anderson’s figure to be next in line for the Bengals. Willie is guaranteed to be a finalist for a sixth consecutive year as he finished in the top seven voting for modern-era finalists like he was in 2025. If any modern candidate is knocking on the door the loudest, it’s arguably the greatest right tackle in the last 40 years of the NFL.
As for Ken, hopefully changes will be made to ensure more seniors can have fair chances at induction instead of going up against coaches and contributors like the last two years.