The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame has severed ties with Jann Wenner, who was the mastermind and co-founder behind the institution, and was still on the Board of Directors.  This stemmed from the backlash from comments he made in an interview with the New York Times while promoting his book, where he criticized black female artists.

The statement was very direct:

“Jann Wenner has been removed from the Board of Directors of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Foundation."

Ouch!

In the Times interview, he was pressed on why he only profiled white male rockers, and he retorted that black and female musicians were not “as articulate” as those he wished to profile.  He doubled down on the ignorance:

"For public relations sake, maybe I should have gone and found one Black and one woman artist to include here that didn't measure up to that same historical standard, just to avert this kind of criticism.”

While Wenner apologized for those remarks, his apology was clearly not accepted by his own creation.

The speed of Jackie Smith earned him a late-round selection (10^th Round) in 1963 by St. Louis, who converted the Flanker into Tight End.

Smith was an excellent blocker, but his receiving skills helped transform the position, and he amassed 7,918 Yards with 40 Touchdowns from the air.  He also earned five consecutive Pro Bowl Selections (1966-70).

Notably, Smith also served as the Cardinals Punter for his first three years.

He entered the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1994.

The Cardinals have been blessed with phenomenal Defensive Backs, haven’t they?

With Patrick Peterson's arrival in 2011, Peterson followed along the Cardinals' tradition of great DBs, and among them all, he had the best rookie year.  Winning the starting job at Right Corner, Peterson was a Pro Bowl Selection for his Punt Returning, having returned four for Touchdowns and leading the NFL in Punt Return Yards.

Peterson moved to the left side as a sophomore, staying there until his departure.  He went to the next seven Pro Bowls, adding two more First Team All-Pros (He was one as a rookie) and was still doing duties as a Punt Returner.  Arizona was up and down during Peterson's tenure, but through his career, they had no worries at Left Corner. 

Peterson’s lengthy tenure with Arizona concluded when he signed with Minnesota in 2021.  With the Cards, Peterson recorded 28 Interceptions and 499 Tackles.

The Professional Football career of Aeneas Williams was extraordinary, as he was a walk-on at Southern during his junior year and two years later would be a third round pick.

Williams was not on anyone's radar for greatness, but that is what he became in a career that began with the Cardinals.  Winning the starting Cornerback on the right side, Williams was an All-Rookie with six picks and finished third in Defensive Player of the Year honors.  The team moved him to the left side, where he was named a Pro Bowler six years in a row (1994-99), with First Team All-Pro honors coming in 1995 and 1997.  Williams also led the NFL in Interceptions in 1994 (9) and had 55 over his career, 44 as a Cardinal.

The rebuilding Cards would trade Williams to the St. Louis Rams, where he would win a Super Bowl.

Williams entered the Cardinals Ring of Honor in 2008 and got the Pro Football Hall of Fame call in 2014.