Tampa Bay Buccaneers fans are still reeling from the loss of two long-time legends. Mike Evans' departure to the 49ers was followed by the retirement of Lavonte David.
David's decision wasn't surprising. There isn't much to debate about his career, but when it comes time for his inclusion in the Hall of Fame, David is going to be scrutinized.
Another of Tampa's legends knows that when David is eligible in his first season, it may not go the way most Bucs' fans will hope. Gerald McCoy believes what happened to David over his career was "criminally done wrong."
Gerald McCoy has strong words for the media after Buccaneer's legend retires
McCoy points out that the media did no favors for David over his 14 seasons in the league. He made the Pro Bowl only once and was named a First-Team All-Pro only once as well. McCoy has a huge problem with that, knowing that the same media will hold his HOF future in their hands.
"“Accolades for the most part are voted on by the media. He was criminally done wrong when it came to accolades. I know that is gonna be used to prevent him from being in Canton. Moving forward……. WE PUSH NUMBERS. Those are UNDENIABLE when it comes to Te!!”"Gerald McCoy on "X"
He isn't wrong by any means. David put up HOF-worthy numbers, but the lack of "accolades" could hurt his chances of making it in on his first attempt, maybe even his second and third.
Fans don't have to look far to see how this process might play out. In South Florida, Dolphins fans waited for Zach Thomas to get elected. Eligible for the first time in 2014, Thomas didn't become a finalist until 2019. It took Thomas 10 years to finally make it into the Hall of Fame.
Why should Buccaneer fans look at Thomas as a potential comparison? Because they have similar situations. Thomas was a 7-time Pro Bowler and a 7-time All-Pro to David's one. This is why McCoy is up in arms over how the media voted on him.
Statistically, as McCoy points out, David has more solo tackles, more sacks, and a championship ring.
Fans need to know that the voting process is flawed. As someone with firsthand knowledge of the process, I can say it can become a popularity contest at times. The voting committee does not put much weight into how many Pro Bowls a player has. They know that is not a reflection on a player's talent. They do, however, consider All-Pros more of an indication of how good a player was.
This is what will hurt David's chances, and he could take a similar path as Thomas did. In our minds, David is a first-ballot HOF player, but the chances of him being elected in his first year of eligibility are going to be a tough sell.
The voters will take into consideration the fact he played his entire career with the Buccaneers, but even that isn't going to get him any closer to a Gold Jacket.
Working in his favor is that there are no first-ballot locks expected in 2031. Harrison Smith and Phillip Rivers are the other two top candidates with first-time eligibility. The voters may only put one first-time eligible player in. A lot will come down to who is a holdover from the previous two classes.
McCoy is right, of course. The media that didn't give him his due while he was playing need to look at the numbers he produced, and not the meaningless Pro Bowls he didn't have.