Art Monk Denied Admission to the HoF

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Mike Florio's Editorial on PFT on Monk v Irvin:

IRVIN OVER MONK SENDS A BAD MESSAGE

Now that Cowboys receiver Michael Irvin has leap-frogged Redskins/Jets/Eagles receiver Art Monk into Canton, we think it's high time for everyone who appreciates the talents of someone who does their job, does it well, keeps his mouth shut, and stays out of trouble to stand up and shout: "Why!?!"

Monk made it through 16 NFL seasons, and finished with 940 catches, 12,721 yards, and 68 touchdowns. He won three Super Bowl rings with three different quarterbacks (none of whom are or ever should be in the Hall of Fame) throwing the passes.

Irvin played 12 years, and caught 750 passes for 11,904 yards and 65 touchdowns. He won three Super Bowls with Hall of Famer Troy Aikman distributing the pill.

The only real difference between the two? Irvin was a loudmouth on the field, and a turd off of it. Monk was neither.

We know. We know. A player's off-the-field exploits are not to be considered, per Hall of Fame bylaws. Well, why hasn't it occurred to someone to change the damn bylaws?

What message does it send to kids out there when a receiver who acts responsibly and humbly on and off the field gets passed over by a guy with lesser career stats? And what happens if/when Irvin (who from time to time appears to be incoherent on the air) dishonors the assembly of busts (which per John Madden come to life at night and talk to each other) if/when Irvin gets arrested again?

We've been to Canton, and it's weird to see O.J. Simpson's bust among those of all of the non-murderers. In his case, though, no one had an inkling that he might someday treat his ex-wife and her friend like a couple of Thanksgiving turkeys. For guys like Irvin, will anyone be surprised if/when he does something that will tarnish the entire body of players who represent true excellence in the sport?

When a team drafts a guy with a history of misconduct and the player commits further misconduct after joining the team, the team that selected him rightly is criticized. We think that the organization and its selection committee fairly should face the same scrutiny if/when Irvin casts shame on the Hall of Fame.

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