L.C. Greenwood latest ‘Steelers backlash’ victim among Hall of Fame voters

Pittsburgh Steelers defensive end L.C. Greenwood has again been denied entry into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

After a second reduction vote, 31 senior-category candidates remain in consideration for the Pro Football Hall of Fame class of 2025 — and, somehow, Pittsburgh Steelers legend L.C. Greenwood is not among them.

The Hall of Fame released the list of remaining candidates on Tuesday.

All of Greenwood’s 13 seasons were spent in Pittsburgh, where he was the starting defensive end on four Super Bowl-winning rosters.

Greenwood was named to the Pro Bowl six times and an All-Pro twice. He logged 78 career sacks, good enough for second in franchise history, although sacks were not a tracked stat in Greenwood’s era.

Gerry Dulac, Steelers insider for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, lobbied for Greenwood as he has on several occasions. He suggests that Greenwood being consistently overlooked is an issue of bias.

“Greenwood is likely the victim of what can only be described as a ‘Steelers bias’ or ‘Steelers backlash’ among Hall of Fame voters,” Dulac wrote. “With so many Steelers from the great Super Bowl teams flooding annually into Canton, Ohio, it is not unreasonable to think some voters thought it was about time to turn off the spigot.”

It’s a shame that Greenwood even needs the senior committee to gain entry into the Hall of Fame. He earned and should’ve been gold-jacketed long before.

Greenwood died at age 67 from kidney failure on Sept. 29, 2013.

The Pro Football Hall of Fame’s class of 2025 will be announced at February’s “NFL Honors” in New Orleans, La., and enshrined next August in Canton.

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Several national NFL writers make the case to enshrine Steelers’ Bill Nunn

With first ballots due next week comes a national urge to induct Steelers’ Bill Nunn into Hall of Fame.

Since early 2020, national pro football writers have made a significant push for former Steelers assistant personnel director and scout to be enshrined into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. If you Google Bill Nunn and Hall of Fame, you’ll easily find a dozen links from writers who believe it’s beyond time Nunn is recognized for his contribution to the Steelers.

NFL columnist Jim Trotter is the latest to make a case for enshrining Nunn. According to Trotter, the initial ballots for contributors for the 2021 HOF class are due July 31.

Per Ed Bouchette, who has been equally vocal on Nunn’s behalf, a committee is expected to meet virtually in August to vote in one contributor to the 2021 Hall of Fame. If the recent outpouring of interest in Nunn being enshrined is any sign, he could finally be a finalist.

The contributor category was added in 2014 to recognize “outstanding contributions to professional football in capacities other than playing or coaching.”

We whole-heartedly agree that Nunn deserves to be honored with a bronze bust. After all, he was responsible for the scouting and drafting of players, including Mel Blount, Joe Greene, John Stallworth, Lynn Swann and Donnie Shell — each who are Hall of Famers in their own right. It’s hard to believe that the Steelers would be a dynasty today if it weren’t for those legendary players.

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