No Respect for Charles Haley, Who Gets Snubbed by Hall of Fame Again

No one in NFL history has won more Super Bowl rings as a player than Charles Haley, who is also a member of the 100-sack club yet has had to wait nine years and counting to be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. 

Haley is the final missing key piece from the Cowboys' 1990s dynasty that hasn't gained admittance to Canton, and while it's encouraging that the class won't be as strong in 2014 and that Haley again made the final 10 in 2013, the fact that Michael Strahan and Kevin Greene are still on the outside looking in indicates Haley could have plenty of waiting time ahead. 

Strahan has to be ahead of Haley in the pecking order, since he holds the single-season sack record and is fifth on the all-time sacks list. Greene has more sacks than all but two players in NFL history, while Haley ranks 27th on that list. 

I was prepared for this. I wrote on Thursday that Haley would have trouble in this stacked class, but I didn't think both Strahan and Greene would be kept out too. I'm sure Haley will wind up making the cut, but it could take some time. Richard Dent was a five-time All-Pro with two rings and 37 more sacks than Haley, but he had to wait eight years to be inducted. 

There are 17 non-Hall of Famers with more career sacks than Haley, and that concerns me. It's not all about the numbers, but it bothers me that quarterbacks get so much credit for winning and players at every other position do not. Haley has to be a Hall of Famer because he played a key role in turning five teams into champions.