Deion Sanders: 'Idiotic' that Bears' Devin Hester is not in HOF
Deion Sanders: 'Idiotic' that Devin Hester is not in HOF originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago
The chorus of people wondering why Bears legend Devin Hester still hasn’t been inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame now includes one of the very best to ever play. In a video posted to Fansided’s TikTok channel, Deion Sanders said it’s “idiotic” that Hester hasn’t received his call to Canton yet.
“How can Devin Hester not be a Hall of Famer?” Sanders said in the video. “This is the most idiotic thing I’ve ever seen in my life. Devin Hester changed the darn game. Devin Hester made it possible that no one went to use the bathroom on fourth downs. They held it until the offense got out there, because of Devin Hester. And you mean to tell me that for the second consecutive year he is not a Hall of Famer? Who is picking this stuff?”
The term “game changer” gets thrown around a lot in sports, but in Hester’s case it’s completely true. Hester burst onto the scene with three punt return touchdowns, two kick return touchdowns, and one remarkable score returning a missed field goal in his rookie season in 2006. He was an integral part of the team's Super Bowl run that season.
It didn’t take long for opposing teams to kick around him, but it didn’t matter much. Throughout his career, Hester found ways to score. And if teams kicked it out of bounds to avoid him, the offense got to reap the benefits of working with a shorter field.
He also made history several times over. Including the playoffs, and that one missed field goal attempt he returned for a score, Hester’s 21 combined return touchdowns are by far the most in league history. He twice led the league in punt return yards and kick return yards. He led the league in punt return scores three times, and kick return scores twice. He was named to four Pro Bowls and was a First-Team All-Pro three times.
But the most memorable piece of history that Hester made was becoming the first man to return the opening kickoff of the Super Bowl for a touchdown. It’s something no one’s accomplished since, either.
By Sanders’ definition of what it means to be a Hall of Famer, Hester should be a lock.
“The definition to meー what I was told as a kid growing upー is a guy that changed the game,” Sanders said. “It’s a guy who you couldn’t deal with, changed the game, took over the game, no matter what. You knew unequivocally what he was going to do during the game that you paid your ticket, or you turned on your TV, to watch. He did that. So how in the world do you pick some of these guys and Devin Hester isn’t in the Hall of Fame?”
Hester has been on the Hall of Fame ballot twice, and each time was named a finalist.
