Meeting virtually for 7 hours, 29 minutes on Jan. 18, the Pro Football Hall of Fame's 49-member selection committee pushed younger finalists like former Vikings defensive end Jared Allen to the backburner while ushering in five modern-era players who had been eligible for 20, 16, 16, 10 and five years.
Allen was in his second year of eligibility and second year as a finalist. The discussion on him lasted 20 minutes, 55 seconds — fifth-longest among the 18 finalists — but Allen did not make the cut from 15 modern-era finalists to 10.
Selected to the Class of 2022 were Seniors Candidate Cliff Branch, Contributors Candidate Art McNally, Coaches Candidate Dick Vermeil and five modern-era candidates: The late Saints and Panthers linebacker Sam Mills, a three-time finalist who was in his 20th and final year as a modern-era candidate; Packers safety LeRoy Butler, a three-time finalist in his 16th year of eligibility; Jaguars left tackle Tony Boselli, a six-time finalist in his 16th year of eligibility; 49ers defensive tackle Bryant Young, a two-time finalist in his 10th year of eligibility; and Patriots defensive lineman Richard Seymour, a four-time finalist in his fifth year of eligibility.