Former Green Bay Packers safety Leroy Butler was selected to be part of the Pro Football Hall of Fame's Class of 2022.
GREEN BAY, Wis. — The third time was the attraction for former Green Bay Packers safety Leroy Butler, who was selected for inductance into the Pro Football Hall of Fame Thursday night.
A finalist in 2020 and 2021, Butler finally leapt into football's immortality - as if overcoming his childhood health problems and being the creator of the "Lambeau Leap" weren't enough to ensure his place in history.
A second-round pick in 1990, Butler finished his career with 38 interceptions and 20.5 sacks. When he recorded a sack in 2001, his final year in the NFL, he became the first player in league history with more than 20 sacks and more than 20 interceptions.
That alone should have brought him into the Hall of Fame. However, when Denver safety Steve Atwater was elected to the Hall of Fame last year, Butler was left as the only offensive or defensive player in the NFL's all-90s team that was not installed in Canton.
This year's vote rights are wrong.
Butler said, "My mother and I had a discussion and she was saying at the time how many players are there, 'Never get this chance?'" Butler said. "When I was a semifinalist, she said, 'Okay, that's great,' but she always taught me to be a patient person. I couldn't walk until I was 5 or 6 and Then I had these braces on my feet like Forrest Gump.
"I've been a patient person all my life. Every year, your fans get so passionate about it. I love fans. They're the DNA of me and the state of Wisconsin. But my wife said something to me today that Platinum after the Packers was, well, they didn't win. I don't like to say lost. But he said, 'Now, if you can induct the Hall of Fame then help you feel good about this state of Wisconsin It is up to you to do it.' So, I've been patient every year. I never wanted to attack voters because it's tough. We were talking about this on the way here. There are less than 400 people in the Hall of Fame and I think There are only 170 people alive. So, I'm telling everyone, it's worth the wait. Trust me, it's going to feel amazing when you find out."
Butler gave this news by bus.
Welp! pic.twitter.com/STYaBwcXAR
— leroy butler (@leap36) February 11, 2022
Butler was a driving force behind the rise of Green Bay's perennial powerhouse. During the decade, he was a four-time All-Pro and Pro Bowler (from 1994 and 1997 to 1999) and intercepted 36 passes, the second most in Safaris in the decade. He was a prolific playwright with athleticism, a nose for football, low rigor and charisma. That was the total package.
"It's amazing that the premier safety of the '90s is getting its due reward by entering the Hall of Fame, the hallowed chamber of pro football," said former Packers GM and fellow Hall of Famer Ron Wolf of Packers.com. "It is well earned because of their passion for the game and their dedication to the Green Bay Packers with their brilliant game."
Butler is part of the eight-man squad for 2022. Others: Offensive tackle Tony Bocelli, receiver Cliff Branch, linebacker Sam Mills, defensive linemen Richard Seymour and Bryant Young, coach Dick Vermeal and official Art McNally.
Prior to 2017, there were only seven pure Safaris in the Hall of Fame. Playing catch-up, Hall of Fame voters selected seven of the last five classes: Kenny Isley (2017), Brian Dawkins (2018), Ed Reed (2019), Johnny Robinson (2019), Troy Polamalu (2020) , Steve Atwater (2020), Cliff Harris (2020) and John Lynch (2021). Isley and Harris were the senior candidates and Reid was one of the all-time greats.
LeRoy Butler: @ProFootballHOF Class of 2022! #PFHOF22 @leap36
— NFL (@NFL) February 11, 2022
(by @UberEats) pic.twitter.com/2eF6Wj7m6A