Former quarterback Brett Favre didn’t hold back after learning Tony Dungy had been removed from the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s selection committee. The move is part of a broader shakeup that trimmed the voting panel from 50 members to 28, a shift that followed intense scrutiny over Bill Belichick’s snub earlier this year. Favre voiced his surprise, noting that longtime executive Bill Polian was also cut from the panel.
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“2 of the classiest and certainly most knowledgeable figures in NFL history!! And you remove them?? 😳,” Brett Favre posted on X.
According to Paul Kuharsky (who has also been cut), the Pro Football Hall of Fame has told more than 20 voters that their time on the panel is done. Dungy is joined by Lisa Salters, Rick Gosselin, Tony Grossi, Ron Borges, Darin Gantt, Clark Judge, Geoff Hobson, Jason Cole, Armando Salguero, Mary Kay Cabot, Matt Maiocco, Bill Polian, Joel Bussert, Paul Gutierrez, and others.
Frank Cooney and John McClain spent 33 years as voters in the Hall of Fame. Dungy and Salters spent six. The criteria that the Hall of Fame used to trim down the number of voting members has not been made public.
“It was a privilege serving on the Pro Football Hall of Fame Selection Committee and representing Houston, the Oilers and Texans, but I was told I didn’t make the cut from 50 to 28, including 3 non-voting members, under the new by-laws,” McClain wrote.
President and CEO Jim Porter explained the thinking behind it.
“Returning to an in-person meeting with 28 Selectors will create robust, thoughtful dialogue and debate around the candidates being discussed. The goal of the Hall of Fame always has been the election of the most deserving individuals, regardless of category.”
Interestingly, Vahe Gregorian of the Kansas City Star will remain on the panel, per Kuharsky. He sparked massive controversy by revealing that he did not vote for Belichick. As a voting member, one is not supposed to reveal who they did or did not vote for.
As for Dungy himself, his resume speaks for itself. He became the first African American head coach to win a Super Bowl and was enshrined in Canton back in 2016 after a 13-year coaching run. He finished with a 148-79 record as a head coach, numbers that speak to just how good he was at the job.
His path onto the committee actually goes back to 2020, when the Hall’s Board of Trustees approved him for an at-large vacancy.
At the time, Saleem Choudhry, the Hall’s Vice President of Museum and Exhibit Services, had nothing but praise for the addition.
“Coach Dungy is a tremendous addition to the Pro Football Hall of Fame Selection Committee,” Choudhry said. “As a Hall of Fame coach who has been involved in the NFL since 1977, he has a depth of knowledge and experience with players, coaches and personnel from numerous organizations across multiple decades. His extensive understanding will be invaluable to the Selection Process.”
Fast forward to now, and that same depth of experience wasn’t enough to save his seat once the committee started shrinking. Dungy hasn’t said anything publicly about the decision yet.
Number-wise, the committee is going from 50 down to 28, though only 25 will actually vote each year. The other three sit in on the conversations without a vote, a role that rotates yearly. Team reps are gone completely now, replaced by 27 at-large voters and just one seat for the Pro Football Writers of America.
It is not known whether Dungy voted for Belichick or not, who was snubbed of a spot in the Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility. However, after the class of 2026 – Drew Brees, Luke Kuechly, Adam Vinatieri, Roger Craig and Larry Fitzgerald – was finalized, Dungy had criticized the backlash against the voting committee.
“People think we voted against Bill Belichick,” Dungy said. “We did not. In fact, the same exact vote. As a matter of fact, if the same exact vote had taken place, same totals as two years ago, Bill Belichick would have been in and so would another deserving Hall of Famer and that is why I’m upset. That is not right.”
There are still 16 spots and three non-voting roles left to fill. For now, the fate of the other 22 former selectors, and what the rebuilt committee will look like, remains anyone’s guess.