We wanted to wait a couple of days to see if this would stick. Even after it was posted on his social media, we still wanted to wait. It was just too bizarre.
As regular visitors to Notinhalloffame.com are aware, every time a significant player from anyone of the big four North American leagues (MLB, NHL, NFL, NFL) we comment on it as the Hall of Fame eligibility clock begin, whether or not they have a legitimate chance or not. As such we are ready to discuss Vontae Davis’ retirement from professional football.
First off, the retirement of Davis came at halftime of his Buffalo Bills game against the Los Angeles Chargers. The Cornerback pulled himself out of the game telling his coach and teammates that he was done and he did not come out to play in the second half and was not in the locker room at the end of the game.
He released a statement on social media where he discussed that he felt he felt he “should no longer be out there anymore” and that he is unable to play up to a “high level”. While Vontae Davis decreed in his statement that he did not mean any disrespect to his teammates, there were some Buffalo Bills who did voice feeling disrespected and like it or not this is how he is going to be remembered more than anything else he did in his career.
This is not a career backup or one game wonder we are talking about here. Davis was a two time Pro Bowl Selection when he was with Indianapolis and he is a ten year veteran with 22 career Interceptions, but this will likely be the most famous thing he will ever do in football.
While we hate how he ended his career we wish Vontae David the best in his post-playing career…which began at halftime.
A very significant retirement took place as Henrik Zetterberg of the Detroit Red Wings has announced that he is done playing hockey. Zetterberg has a degenerative back condition that can not be cured by rest or surgery and he opted to end playing so that he increase his quality of life in his later years.
Playing his entire NHL career with the Detroit Red Wings, Zetterberg was a seventh round pick from Sweden who was not forecasted to have a career as successful as it was. The runner-up for the Calder Trophy in the 2002-03 season, Zetterberg would blossom into an excellent two way player who was a constant threat to win the Frank J. Selke Award as the best Defensive Forward. While that award escaped his trophy case he would be named a Second Team All Star in 2007-08, which has to be considered the best season of his career. Not only was he a Second Team All Star, he helped Detroit win the Stanley Cup and in the process he was named the Conn Smythe Trophy winner.
Internationally speaking, Zetterberg helped Sweden win both the 2006 Olympic and World Championship and after the 2008 Stanley Cup win he became a member of the “Triple Gold Club”.
He retires with 960 Points in 1,082 Games played in the NHL.
We here at Notinhalloffame.com would like to wish Henrik Zetterberg the best in his post-playing career.
The Toy Hall of Fame has announced the Finalists for their Class of 2018.
They are:
American Girl Dolls
Chalk
Chutes and Ladders
Fisher-Price Corn Popper
Magic 8 Ball
Masters of the Universe Toys (including He-Man)
Pinball
Sled
Tic-Tac-Toe
Tickle Me Elmo
Tudor Electric Football
Uno
Three toys will be chosen for their induction ceremony, which will be held on November 8. This year, should you wish to participate, you can vote on a Player’s Choice Ballot, which will be active until September 18.
It is a major day for the Pro Football Hall of Fame as they have announced their preliminary nominees for enshrinement.
Let’s take a look at who was chosen at this stage by way of their position:
Quarterbacks:
Randall Cunningham, Dave Krieg, Jeff Garcia, Donovan McNabb, Steve McNair.
Running Backs:
Shaun Alexander, Tiki Barber, Earnest Byner, Larry Centers, Corey Dillon, Eddie George, Edgerrin James, Darryl Johnston, Eric Metcalf (WR/KR/PR), Clinton Portis, Fred Taylor, Herschel Walker, Chris Warren, Ricky Watters.
Wide Receivers:
Isaac Bruce, Gary Clark, Henry Ellard, Torry Holt, Chad Johnson, Derrick Mason, Sterling Sharpe, Rod Smith, Hines Ward.
Tight Ends:
Mark Bavaro, Tony Gonzalez, Brent Jones, Jay Novacek.
Offensive Linemen:
Willie Anderson (T), Tony Boselli (T), Lomas Brown (T), Ray Donaldson (C), Alan Faneca (G), Chris Hinton (G/T), Kent Hull (C), Steve Hutchinson (G), Mike Kenn (T), Olin Kreutz (C), Kevin Mawae (C/G), Tom Nalen (C), Chris Samuels (T), Richmond Webb (T), Steve Wisniewski (G).
Defensive Linemen:
La’Roi Glover (DT/NT), Russell Maryland (DT), Leslie O’Neal (DE), Simeon Rice (DE), Richard Seymour (DT), Neil Smith (DE), Bryant Young (DT).
Linebackers:
Carl Banks, Cornelius Bennett, Tedy Bruschi, London Fletcher, Seth Joyner, Wilber Marshall, Clay Matthews, Willie McGinest, Karl Mecklenburg, Sam Mills, Chris Spielman, Takeo Spikes, Darryl Talley, Zach Thomas.
Defensive Backs:
Eric Allen (CB), Steve Atwater (S), Champ Bailey (CB), Ronde Barber (CB/S), Bill Bates (S), LeRoy Butler (S), Nick Collins (S), Thomas Everett (S), Rodney Harrison (S), Ty Law (CB), Albert Lewis (CB), John Lynch (S), Tim McDonald (S), Ed Reed (FS), Dennis Smith (S), Troy Vincent (CB), Adrian Wilson (S), Darren Woodson (S).
Special Teams:
Jason Elam (K), Jeff Feagles (P), Sean Landeta (P), Brian Mitchell (KR/PR also RB), Steve Tasker (ST also WR).
Coaches:
Don Coryell, Bill Cowher, Tom Flores, Jim Hanifan, Mike Holmgren, Jimmy Johnson, Richie Petitbon, Dan Reeves, Marty Schottenheimer, Clark Shaughnessy, Dick Vermeil.
There are four first time nominees in Tony Gonzalez, London Fletcher, Ed Reed and Champ Bailey.
In November 25 Semi-Finalists will be chosen and the Finalists will be announced in January.