Against the Grain II

What the delay to enshrine Ken Riley cost him

Make no mistake about it, I am ecstatic that the Pro Football Hall of Fame enshrined Ken Riley in 2023.  It was a grand celebration like only the Canton, Ohio Chamber of Commerce could execute.  From the Cleveland Airport to the city of Akron and into Canton, the acknowledgement of class is unmatched. Much like the city of Cooperstown, N.Y., is engulfed into supporting and promoting the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame, the cities that house these two distinct halls evolve around the annual celebration.
Approaching Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium, you could see the 2023 class plastered on 20-foot banners. A fitting tribute for those who earned the right to go into the hallowed halls of the Pro Football Hall of Fame Museum that sits right outside of the stadium. A full side wall of the museum was adorned with another larger-than-life banner that honored the class of 2023.
The parade was second to none.  The ancillary events surrounding the enshrinement ceremony that led up to the main event were first class. The whole weekend was what dreams are made of.
By waiting 40 years after Riley ended his career, though his stats withstood the test of time, it cost him a lot.  Unfortunately, he passed in 2020 and never got the opportunity to experience any of the rewards attributed to his hall of fame enshrinement. 
The sad thing is at the end of his life, it was the one thing he desired, but was growing bitter as to why he was continuously omitted.  He could not understand how any member of the selection committee could look at his stats, longevity, and purely untainted image on and off the field and deny him entry.
It first hit me at the Hall of Fame Gold Jacket Ceremony.  The action of “the gauntlet” is something I’ve never been so emotional about.  All of the living Pro Football Hall of Famers were introduced and they lined up across from each other, making a tunnel.  We’re talking about Emmitt Smith, Dan Marino, Jimmy Johnson, Mel Blount, Larry Little, Peyton Manning, Tony Dorsett, and the list goes on and on.  When they announced each of the new enshrines, they would walk “the gauntlet” and be greeted by the greats.  It was a welcome to the fraternity of epic proportions.
It was when Ronde Barber came through that the uniqueness of the Gold Jacket Ceremony made its biggest impact.  As he walked and made it to Derrick Brooks who hugged his teammate and preceded to Warren Sapp who picked him up in joy, his teammates were able to celebrate with him.
Before the enshrinement ceremony, the welcome to the class visit is also something Riley missed. Former teammates would show up at the home of the new enshrines with a camera crew and inform them that they had been selected to the Hall of Fame.  Riley never got the opportunity for Anthony Munoz to show up in Bartow, Fla., and deliver the news to him.  The reaction is 100 percent the exact same. The new enshrines shed tears of joy for making it to the ultimate affirmation of their careers.
Then there was the enshrinement speech.  Ken Riley II did an amazing job. He truly knocked the honor out of the park. Barbara Riley, Ken’s widow, helped to unveil his bust. It was the spitting image of Riley. However, he should have been the one to pull off that cover and witness his bronzed immortality.
No one has ever stepped up to explain why the fifth-leading interceptor of passes in NFL history was kept out of the hall, while players with fewer stats were given entry before him. To this day, I still cram to understand. The disappointment will never leave me.
At the unveiling of the inaugural Cincinnati Bengals Ring of Honor, I met Anthony Munoz. As a guest of the Riley family, I realized even more that he is a bigger-than-life figure. He was one of the best linemen ever to wear orange and black.  But, he is even a better person.  He is cordial to people and very involved in conversations. He loved Ken Riley and shared in the sorrow of his passing.  Especially without being enshrined.  The wait to enshrine Riley also robbed Muniz of the opportunity of being the bearer of good news to tell Riley what he had been waiting to hear for most of his life.