NFL considering revocation of Ronnie Lott's Hall of Fame induction

AP New York-  In his latest act to raise awareness of concussions in professional football, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell is reportedly considering revoking Ronnie Lott's induction into the NFL Hall of Fame. Ronnie Lott who starred as a hard-hitting corner back and safety on the Super Bowl Championship San Francisco 49ers teams of the 1980s was inducted in 2000.
          "Concussions and their long-term effects are an epidemic in today's NFL" said Goodell.  "We are taking aggressive steps to limit the number of events, increase diagnosis, and minimize recurrences.  But there is only so much that we can do in the present.  To increase the public's awareness, we feel that it is necessary to revisit the past."
         A task force created by Goodell was assigned with the responsibility to review NFL films dating back to the 1970s to identify hits that would now be considered illegal.  Sources close to the commissioner report that he is considering levying fines against former players for questionable hits.
        When the task force reviewed 49ers game tape, they discovered that over 37% of Ronnie Lott's tackles which were celebrated for their violent nature at the time would now be considered a personal foul and subjected to a fine.  When Goodell had these tackles removed from the record books, Lott's career statistics no longer met the strict standard of the Hall of Fame.
         Multiple sources in the Commissioners office that spoke on condition of anonymity report that this is part of a 12 step process to convert the NFL to a two hand touch league by 2018.  Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell was quoted as saying "This is the second time this week that I've had to talk about the wussification of the NFL."  Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker James Harrison, who was reached at the BP gas station that he works nights to supplement his income lost to NFL levied fines, could only say "I'm not surprised."
         In a related story, the Big 12 and SEC announced today that all nonconference games for the 2011 season will utilize flags instead of actual tackling.

MTK