The Pro Football Hall of Fame has made sweeping changes to its selection process that include a significant reduction in the number of selectors and the elimination of the separate "Seniors'' category in the voting process.
Hall of Fame president/CEO Jim Porter announced the changes Friday, which will take effect as the Hall's Class of 2027 is considered.
"The Hall continually reviews its bylaws to ensure the selection process reflects the highest standards of integrity and the magnitude of election to the Pro Football Hall of Fame,'' Porter said in a statement. "There is no more important task at the Hall of Fame than the election of each new class.''
Porter said the changes were made after a 2-1/2-year review of the selection process and the changes were recently approved by the Hall's Board of Directors.
The Hall's board of selectors will be reduced from 50 to 28 as 25 members of the selection committee will be voting members with three alternates. And there will no longer be at least one selector in each of the home markets of the 32 teams in the league.
Porter said the changes to the size and make-up of the board of selectors were made to avoid "unintended biases'' the Hall said may have been a part of the previous selection process.
All players will also now be considered in one pool, rather than either "modern-era'' or "seniors" -- players who had their modern-era eligibility expire after 25 years. Players will be evaluated as one group, as players would still be eligible five years after their retirement but simply remain on the list of all eligible players after that.
There will continue to be Coach and Contributor categories. The Contributor category has been expanded from those "contributed to the game outside of playing or coaching'' to the consideration of a candidate's full football resume that may include playing, coaching and other contributions to the league.
And now each year, after voting reductions, a list of 13 players, one coach and one contributor -- 15 in all -- will be considered for enshrinement. The Hall said a Hall of Fame class could now be between three and seven members.
It takes an 80% approval for enshrinement so realistically most classes will likely now be five or six enshrinees.
For the first time since COVID-19 pandemic the Hall will return to an in-person meeting of the selectors for the final votes to determine each year's enshrinees.
"The Hall of Fame's selection process has always been guided by integrity, thoughtful deliberation and a commitment to honoring those most deserving of football's highest individual honor," Porter said. "We believe these changes both augment what has worked well while addressing opportunities to further strengthen a tradition that means so much to the game and everyone who loves it.''
Each year the Hall's class and voting procedures are often hotly-debated after the announcement at the NFL Honors show, but this past February's announcement was scrutinized heavily after former New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick was not selected in his first year of eligibility.