Ex-NFL Players Seem To Be Circling The Wagons For Lavonte David
March 26th, 2026
Ex-players ready to defend.
In the wake of Lavonte David hanging up his cleats, Joe has noticed something very cool and unexpected.
There is a rising groundswell of ex-NFL players already beating the drum for David to get into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Now David is not eligible for induction until 2031, Even when he is eligible, as Hall of Fame selector and JoeBucsFan.com columnist Ira Kaufman often cautions fans, selectors (rightly or wrongly) tend to lean on All-Pro awards in selecting Hall of Fame players.
There, David falls very short.
Where David does not fall short is production, which should be how one is determined to be Hall of Fame worthy. What did the player do on the field?
There are tons of stats ranking David among the game’s greatest. If anything, the evidence is that David has been shafted for years by the chroniclers of the game, not so much the other way around.
In the past couple of days, Joe has seen prominent ex-players on various large platforms (social media, network television, podcasts, etc.) share stats on David and wonder aloud how in the world the Hall of Fame selectors could not put David in Canton?
And of course, the people who traffic in advanced stats have always been in David’s corner.
Yesterday, watching the “Pat McAfee Show,” McAfee, a former Pro Bowl punter, could not understand how anyone wouldn’t recognize David as one of the game’s greats. He openly said if David struggles to get into Canton, then there is something very wrong with the selection process.
McAfee has one of the most popular shows on any platform. He is tight with lots of players, both active and retired. There’s a reason why so many go on his show and are comfortable chopping it up with him.
It almost seemed to Joe that all of these ex-players who have these massive platforms would rise as one to defend David if he struggles to get into Canton, like they are taking a potential David snub personally. Like people dismissing David is an attack on their game.
It also shows how much respect David has throughout NFL circles.
Again, David is five years away from eligibility. But this is starting to remind Joe of when Art Monk struggled for years to get into Canton.
It got to the point that Redskins fans (Monk never played for the Commandos) took matters into their own hands and shamed the Hall of Fame selectors into capitulating and voting for Monk, if for no other reason than to stop being harassed and harangued.
The late Paul Zimmermann of Sports Illustrated, a respected yet crusty and ill-mannered selector, confessed he got hounded so much about Monk that he succumbed to the pressure just so his life could return to normalcy.
Joe senses a similar outcome for David. If he is not elected for a few years, ex-players with major platforms will turn the issue into a crusade and so many football fans will pile on the bandwagon.
Yeah, Joe understands how some selectors may never vote for David because he doesn’t have (fill in a number) All-Pro awards. That doesn’t mean it’s right.
March 26th, 2026 at 7:20 am
Amen
March 26th, 2026 at 7:26 am
It’s dam near impossible to find a caliber of player like LVD playing the game today. #54’s presence will be missed in the greater NFL for the standard you could see on tape every game.
March 26th, 2026 at 7:30 am
I look at Ken Riley! Same situation. Waited till he passed away to finally see the greatness of this cornerback! Hopefully Lavonte won’t have to wait as long!
March 26th, 2026 at 7:31 am
His numbers speak for themselves. He should get in first try. I remember how hard it was for Lynch and Barber to get in though and they had numbers and stats. So who knows.
March 26th, 2026 at 7:43 am
Great, we have 5 years worth of David belongs in the hall articles.
March 26th, 2026 at 7:54 am
A lot can change in 5-6 years.
March 26th, 2026 at 7:55 am
Numbers speak for themselves
His Tackle for loss numbers are Absurd
Always slicing through blockers, was awesome to watch
March 26th, 2026 at 8:00 am
The Hall of Shame is no different than the All-Pro, Pro Bowl selection
How can a guy like Patrick Willis make 5 1st team All-Pro, 7 Pro Bowls
Then retire early into his 8th season with the 49ers
Then get elected into the Hall of Shame
Joe Namath has one good game during his career.
And he gets elected to the Hall of Shame
I don’t blame Terrell Owens for boycotting the ceremony and his induction
March 26th, 2026 at 8:10 am
Get him in!!
March 26th, 2026 at 8:13 am
I always bring the idea of how people look at bobby wagner and his greatness and then compare the stats to LVD54. david has him beat in most categories you expect from a LB, (TFL, FF). its stupid to not give this man his gold jacket because for the longest time he played for a scrub team until brady showed up. GIVE THE MAN HIS JACKET WHEN THE TIME COMES
March 26th, 2026 at 8:26 am
I hope LVD gets in the HoF. I was wondering if a case could be made that his stats were great because he played longer than other HoF linebackers?
March 26th, 2026 at 8:44 am
His play and character speak volumes. It’s great to see players 🧍♂️ 🧍♀️ standing up for him. When his eligibility in 5 years from now. Hopefully will have these players speaking up for him again.
March 26th, 2026 at 8:54 am
I mean, you could tell by how other players would talk David up when he made the NFL Top-100 list. Game recognize game, players know their peers who excel in the game and when they’re NOT being celebrated as they should.