That included the 1998 Super Bowl, when the owner famously shouted

The Pro Football Hall of Fame’s clumsy policy regarding the posthumous presentation of gold rings and jackets is about to get even clumsier.As explained by Mike Klis of 9News.com Royce Freeman Jersey , the recent passing of 2019 enshrinee Pat Bowlen will force the Hall of Fame either to apply its policy as written, or to create an exception.Pro Football Hall of Fame spokesman Pete Fierle acknowledged that the museum faces an unprecedented dilemma.“This is the first time that a Hall of Famer has passed away between election and enshrinement,” Fierle told Klis. “The policy for posthumous enshrinees is being reviewed to clarify the intent and purpose of decisions made in the past.”The Hall of Fame has gotten it very wrong in the past, stubbornly refusing to give rings and jackets to the families of Hall of Famers like Junior Seau and Ken Stabler. And the reason given for denying the ring and jacket to Seau, Stabler, and other posthumously enshrined Hall of Famers applies equally to Bowlen, since he passed before he was given the ring and the jacket.“While the iconic bronzed busts are created to memorialize every member of the Hall of Fame, the Hall of Fame Ring and Gold Jacket are items presented to living Hall of Fame members to be worn exclusively by them as evidence and pride of their having been elected to sport’s most elite fraternity,” the Hall of Fame said in a 2016 statement, when the issue of deceased Hall of Famers being denied a ring and a jacket first arose. “At no time in its 53-year history has the Hall of Fame presented either of these personal adornments posthumously or retroactively to a family member of a deceased Hall of Famer.”To the extent that the Hall of Fame is considering making an exception for Bowlen because he passed between his election and induction, that exception would in the face of the reasoning articulated in 2016. So here’s the best solution: Give the ring and the jacket to the family of Pat Bowlen. And to the family of Junior Seau. And to the family of Ken Stabler. And to the family of every other Hall of Famer who dies before election or induction.The Hall of Fame badly blew it in 2016. Pat Bowlen’s passing gives the Hall of Fame an opportunity to get it right. Here’s hoping that the Hall of Fame, under the guidance of the NFL, will do the right thing, as to Bowlen, Seau, Stabler, and all others who secure the game’s highest honor without witnessing it. ATLANTA — For towering tight end Tony Gonzalez, this was a slam dunk.The 6-foot-5 Gonzalez, who turned the celebratory post-TD dunk over the crossbar into an art form, was voted into the Hall of Fame on Saturday.Joining him will be two more first-time nominees John Elway Jersey , Champ Bailey and Ed Reed, along with another defensive back, Ty Law, and center Kevin Mawae; Law and Mawae were both in their third year as finalists.The contributor nominees, Broncos owner Pat Bowlen and Cowboys and NFL executive Gil Brandt, each made it, as did senior Johnny Robinson, the defensive back who helped the Chiefs win Super Bowl 4.Gonzalez started in Kansas City and finished in Atlanta, where voters met on the eve of the Super Bowl to select the Class of 2019; they didn’t need much time to debate his worthiness.In short, Gonzalez had more than his fair share of chances to jam. (Maybe not by accident, the NFL banned the practice in 2014, the year after he retired.)The most prolific pass catcher at his position over a 17-year career, Gonzalez caught 1,325 passes (second in NFL history) for 15,127 yards (sixth) and 111 touchdowns. He was a six-time All-Pro, made 14 Pro Bowls, and his 916 catches with the Chiefs set one of 22 franchise records he held upon his retirement.He’ll be donning the yellow jacket this summer alongside three players who spent part of their careers trying to stop him.This marks the first time more than two defensive backs have made it in the same class.Bailey played 15 years — five with Washington, then 10 more with Denver after the Redskins swapped him for Clinton Portis. Like so many great cornerbacks, Bailey did not rewrite the record book, in part because he was Womens Joe Flacco Jersey , for a huge chunk of his career, considered the best cover guy in the league. So most quarterbacks simply avoided him.Still, he made three All-Pro teams, 12 Pro Bowls and a none-too-shabby 52 interceptions. His best-remembered pick was a 103-yard return against Tom Brady in the 2006 playoffs that did not go for a touchdown. Denver did score shortly afterward, though, on the way to the win. Eight years later, Bailey made his only Super Bowl.Reed won his only title in the 2012 season, his last with the Ravens. Running the defense from his safety position, he was a standout playmaker on a roster full of them — including Ray Lewis, Terrell Suggs and Peter Boulware. Reed finished his career with 64 interceptions, and led the league in picks three times.Law was a lot like Bailey, a rock at the corner who quarterbacks avoided. He finished with 53 interceptions and three Super Bowl rings, all with the Patriots. When New England beat the Rams for its first title in 2002, Law returned a pick 47 yards for a score that gave the Patriots the lead in the second quarter; they didn’t trail after that.Law was one of the many high-profile players Bill Belichick was willing to cycle out, and his final five years were spent with Kansas City, Denver and two stints with the Jets, including 2005, when he made a career-high 10 interceptions.Mawae, a second-round draft pick in 1994, played 16 seasons for the Seahawks Joe Flacco Jersey White , Jets and Titans. He made three All-Pro teams and joins Mike Webster, Dwight Stevenson and Jim Otto among the few true centers in Canton.Mawae earned a spot some thought might go instead to Jaguars left tackle Tony Boselli. But for Boselli, Edgerrin James, John Lynch, Richard Seymour and six others, it’s wait ’til next year.Bowlen goes in after what some believe was a longer-than-necessary wait. He is now suffering from Alzheimer’s disease, which has put the future of the Broncos’ franchise on uncertain ground. He was key in securing the NFL’s future via a number of multibillion-dollar TV contracts. The Broncos have largely prospered during his tenure, winning more than 60 percent of their games.This one’s for John” — a tribute to John Elway winning his first title.Brandt spent 29 years with the Cowboys, where his keen eye for talent helped turn Dallas into “America’s Team.” He chose eight future Hall of Famers, including Troy Aikman, Roger Staubach, Bob Lilly and Bob Hayes. He employed computers for evaluating talent and came up with psychological tests for draft prospects, two tools no NFL team could do without in the modern game.Brandt also was elected for his role as the NFL’s resident draft guru.Robinson was chosen by the Dallas Texans in the first AFL draft. The Texans became the Chiefs, and the Chiefs became Super Bowl champions. A teammate of his, Hall of Fame linebacker Willie Lanier, said Robinson was the key to a defense that helped Kansas City to two AFL titles, each of which landed the Chiefs in the Super Bowl.