What really happens inside the room when Pro Football Hall of Fame decisions are made?
This week on Here’s What We Know, we sit down with longtime NFL writer and Hall of Fame voter Jason Cole to pull back the curtain on a process most fans think they understand but usually don’t.
Jason explains how Hall of Fame voting actually works, why the math matters more than people realize, and why some obvious names don’t get in right away. We talk about grit, greatness, coaching versus players, and the thin line between legacy and perception. Along the way, Jason shares old-school football stories that remind us why this game still matters so much to so many people.
If you’ve ever argued about the Hall of Fame at a bar, on the couch, or online, this conversation will give you a whole new perspective.
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In this Episode:
- How Pro Football Hall of Fame voting really works
- Why first-ballot decisions are more complicated than fans think
- Coaching impact versus player greatness
- What separates legends from very good players
- Stories that remind us football is still a human game
Bio:
Jason Cole has covered or written about pro football since 1992. He is one of 49 selectors for the Pro Football Hall of Fame and has served as a selector since 2013. Cole has worked for publications such as Bleacher Report, Yahoo! Sports, The Miami Herald and The Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel. He started his career with the Peninsula Times-Tribune in Palo Alto.
Cole has authored or co-authored eight books, including the biography of Hall of Famer John Elway (Elway: A Relentless Life), Shut Up, Your Kid is Not That Great, including a foreword by Tom Brady Sr., Giant with Plaxico Burress, Heart for the Game with Simon Keith, and Ocho Cinco with Chad Johnson. Before covering the NFL, Cole covered the NBA, Major League Baseball and high school sports in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Cole’s five-year investigation of Reggie Bush and the University of Southern California resulted in Bush becoming the only player ever to relinquish his Heisman Trophy and USC losing its 2004 national championship. Cole is a graduate of Stanford University, served as an adjunct professor in the Journalism Department at the University of Florida for 11 years, and is the father of two Eagle Scouts.