2012 Pro Football Hall of Fame: Shocking Snubs Who Were Kept out of Canton

The Pro Football Hall of Fame has blown it once again, as it announced its inductees tonight. There are a couple of players that were long overdue that will be left out of this elite club once again.

The NFL released the Hall of Fame inductees in steps on Saturday. First they cut five players from the list of 17.

At the top of snubs on that initial list is WR Tim Brown. This was Brown's third year of eligibility, and he should have been in last year—let alone be around to get snubbed against this year.

Brown is a nine-time Pro Bowler. He is 16th in receiving TDs, 17th in overall TDs and 17th in yards from scrimmage. He was a consistently great receiver. 

Brown wasn't all about yards from scrimmage either. He was a dominant return man early in his career, and in his rookie season he led the NFL by gaining over 2,300 all purpose yards. 

Perhaps the HOF committee should have reviewed this highlight package before deciding to leave Brown out...again. 

Tim took to his Twitter to announce his snub before they got to it on TV. In fact, he stole some of the NFL's thunder by saying that he had learned that no WRs would be in this class. That would cross finalists Andre Reed and Chris Carter off the list. 

Brown's tweet ended up proving to be true. Both were left off the list. 

Before we get into more of the snubs, take a look at the people who made it in. 

Inductees

Jack Butler, CB, Pittsburgh Steelers

Dermontti Dawson, C, Pittsburgh Steelers

Chris Doleman, DE/LB, Minnesota Vikings, Atlanta Falcons, San Francisco 49ers

Cortez Kennedy, DT, Seattle Seahawks

Curtis Martin, RB, New York Jets

Willie Roaf, T, New Orleans Saints, Kansas City Chiefs

More Snubs

Jerome Bettis 

"The Bus" punished defenders for 13 NFL seasons. He made the Pro Bowl six times and was an All-Pro twice. 

He finished with 94 touchdowns which ranks him 23rd all time. He gained over 15,000 yards from scrimmage, and that ranks him eighth in NFL history. 

Bettis was a durable workhorse throughout his career. Only three backs have ever had more NFL carries. 

While it is certainly an unofficial stat, I am willing to bet that no running back has flattened more defenders than Bettis. Take a look at some of these impressive highlights. 

He is one of the most reliable short yardage backs the NFL has ever seen, and he had a Hall of Fame career. It is time for him to be recognized for it. 

Eddie DeBartolo Jr. 

During his ownership from 1977-2000, DeBartolo transformed the San Francisco 49ers into a dynasty.

In his time as owner, the 49ers ran off an NFL record 16 straight 10-plus win seasons and won five Super Bowl titles. 

Under DeBartolo, the 49ers changed the way the game of football was played, and while Bill Walsh gets the majority of that credit, none of that would have been possible were it not for the environment that DeBartolo created and maintained. 

As Dan Fouts alludes to, it is shocking that DeBartolo is not in the Hall for these accomplishments. 

Cris Carter 

Carter was catching touchdowns, and all other kinds of passes, for 16 seasons in the NFL. He made the Pro Bowl eight times and was an All-Pro twice in those 16 years. 

Carter ended his career with 130 receiving TDs. That is good for fourth all-time. It is ridiculous that a man that has caught more touchdowns than any but three other receivers should have to wait to get into the Hall. 

He is also eighth in career receiving yards. Making the snub worse for Carter is the fact that former teammate Chris Doleman made the Hall, and many, including this fan, feel that is a joke. 

Carter had an amazing career and was productive for season after season. I have just one thing to say about him being left out yet again, "C'mon man!"

Bill Parcells 

Parcels is a football icon whose impression on the game is still being felt in a big way. Both of the coaches in this year's Super Bowl, Bill Belichick and Tom Coughlin, coached under Parcells.

Those aren't the only Super Bowl winning coaches to learn from Parcells either. The Saints' Sean Payton also worked for the "Big Tuna."

Parcells coached for 22 seasons, won two Super Bowls and coached in three. He finished with a head coaching record of 172-130-1. He coached four different teams and took all of them to the playoffs. He is the only coach in history to achieve that feat. 

Count ESPN's Stephen A. Smith among those who can't believe that Parcells was left out. 

There aren't many coaches that can post of the kind of prolonged success that Parcells enjoyed. He made an instant impact on every team he took over and is an absolute legend in the NFL world. 

Charles Haley

Haley is one of the most-feared pass rushers in the history of the game. He terrorized QBs for 13 NFL seasons and won everywhere he went. He is the only player in history to collect five Super Bowl rings. 

He made the Pro Bowl five times and was an All Pro twice. His 100.5 career sacks ranks him 23rd all time. 

Haley's stats are not what make him such a snub. His numbers are certainly borderline for this exclusive club. What makes this a huge omission is the impact he made on the best teams in the game. 

Haley was not all about sacks either. As you'll see in this highlight package, he made his impact felt in all kinds of ways. 

He was a key contributor on five Super Bowl teams, and that is something that no one else can claim.