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Former Seahawks tackle Walter Jones, as expected, was named a finalist for the Pro Football Hall of Fame Thursday evening.
Jones, the No. 6 pick in the 1997 draft, spent his entire 12-year career in Seattle that included nine Pro Bowl selections and six first-team All-Pro nods. Jones was a key piece of the 2005 Seahawks team that went 13-3 and became the only team in franchise history to reach the Super Bowl.
“It means a lot,” Jones said of being a finalist. “It means, as the old cliché goes, that you have gained the respect of a lot of people and you did it the right way. So now that I’m done playing, I can say I did it the right way, I left it on the football field.”
The other finalists selected from the field of 25 semifinalists include: kicker Morten Andersen, running back Jerome Bettis, linebacker Derrick Brooks, wide receiver Tim Brown, owner Edward DeBartolo Jr., coach Tony Dungy, defensive end/linebacker Kevin Greene, defensive end Charles Haley, wide receiver Marvin Harrison, safety John Lynch, wide receiver Andre Reed, guard Will Shields, defensive end Michael Strahan and defensive back Aeneas Williams.
Lynch, a nine-time Pro Bowl player, will be the analyst for FOX’s telecast of the Seahawks’ divisional playoff game against the New Orleans Saints on Saturday.
The list of finalists will be presented, debated and voted upon by the selection committee on Saturday, Feb. 1, the day before Super Bowl XLVIII at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. The Class of 2014 will be announced on the NFL Network Feb. 1.
“Now you just sit back and enjoy it,” Jones said. “So I think it’s fun. It’s something that once you get in the league and see all the great guys that have made it and now to be on that list, it’s a great feeling.”
Agencies/Canadajournal
