The Pro Football Hall of Fame Selection Committee met yesterday to delegate on which of the finalists eligible for the Class of 2021 will be entering into football immortality. And for Miami Dolphins linebacker Zach Thomas, the opportunity is knocking once again to break through after a prolonged wait to even make the finalist stage. Thomas broke through to the group of finalists for the Class of 2020 before ultimately falling short of joining Canton — but there’s optimism building that his wait may be nearing a close thanks to a second consecutive year of serving as a finalist.
The last step? Convincing the voters that he’s worth the induction. And while this year’s class is headlined by the likes of Peyton Manning, Thomas’ candidacy remains as strong as ever. How was his case presented to the Hall of Fame voters?
The Miami Herald’s Armando Salguero had the honor of presenting Thomas yesterday — in a brief presentation that featured endorsements from the likes of Manning himself and fellow Hall of Fame linebackers Ray Lewis and Brian Urlacher. You can watch the initial presentation of Thomas’ candidacy below courtesy of the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s social media:
The HOF Selection Committee is meeting virtually today to discuss the candidates for the #PFHOF21 Class.
Next up: Selector @ArmandoSalguero presented on behalf of Modern-Era Player Finalist Zach Thomas.@MiamiDolphins pic.twitter.com/jSFyXjsj4U
— Pro Football Hall of Fame (@ProFootballHOF) January 19, 2021
The Class of 2021 will be revealed on February 6th at the annual NFL Honors event and enshrinement is currently scheduled for Sunday, August 8th of this year. Thomas, who has been retired since May of 2010, will need to battle through Manning, Charles Woodson, Calvin Johnson, Jared Allen and others, must finish with one of the five highest collection of votes in order to see his long wait officially come to a close.