Another year, another Pro Football Hall of Fame snub for Pittsburgh Steelers greats Hines Ward and James Harrison.
The two who are part of some of the most iconic and important plays in Steelers’ history missed out in late December on being named finalists for the Class of 2025. Once again, Ward and Harrison were semifinalists for the Hall of Fame, but they couldn’t make it into the 15 finalists that will be narrowed down to five during Super Bowl week.
Seeing Ward and Harrison miss out on being Hall of Fame finalists once again has Steelers team captain — and potential Hall of Famer himself — Cam Heyward rather frustrated with the process.
On the latest episode of his Not Just Football with Cam Heyward podcast the Steelers standout made the case for Ward and Harrison when it comes to football’s ultimate honor.
“No Hines Ward or James Harrison again. I just think, what we doing here? One guy, Defensive Player of the Year, has the most memorable play in Super Bowl history. I have all the admiration for that guy in James Harrison,” Heyward said, according to video via the show’s YouTube page. “And I know a lot of people do. Without his efforts, there’s no Super Bowl. And he is part of the greatest, one of the greatest, defenses of all time. And then you move on to a guy like Hines Ward who’s won a Super Bowl MVP, was the go-to guy for Ben Roethlisberger, who we know will be getting in as soon as he comes available.
“And so I just think both guys need to be finalists for this because they’re deserving in their careers. These guys are special, and I look at some of the other guys, I’m like, ‘Man, we need to start questioning who’s making the decisions on that.'”
Both Ward and Harrison have the resumes to get into the Hall of Fame, yet they continue to be left on the outside looking in. This year, wide receivers like Torry Holt, Steve Smith Sr., and Reggie Wayne are ahead of Ward as finalists. He also finds himself in the same discussion with the likes of Anquan Boldin, who was a semifinalist at WR with Ward this year.
For Harrison, he was passed over for the likes of Jared Allen and Terrell Suggs as finalists this year and was in the linebacker category among semifinalists that included Robert Mathis.
Ward, a third-round pick out of the University of Georgia in the 1998 NFL Draft, played 14 seasons with the Steelers, adding two Lombardi Trophies and a Super Bowl MVP to his resume. He finished with 1,000 career receptions for 12,083 yards and 85 touchdowns in the 14 seasons and was considered the best blocking wide receiver in the game throughout his career.
In fact, the NFL changed the rules to prevent some of the big blocks that Ward landed throughout his career, like the blind-side block on Cincinnati’s Keith Rivers that broke his jaw or the big hit on Baltimore’s Ed Reed.
Harrison spent 14 seasons with the Steelers as well and sits third in sacks with 80.5 in franchise history after T.J. Watt broke the record in Week 2 of the 2023 season against the Cleveland Browns and Heyward passed him this season.
Harrison recorded 811 tackles, 84.5 sacks, 34 forced fumbles, nine recoveries, eight interceptions and a touchdown in his career. He also has a Defensive Player of the Year award in 2008 on his resume and was voted first-team All-Pro twice, earning five trips to the Pro Bowl as well.
Harrison’s 100-yard interception return for a touchdown against the Arizona Cardinals in Super Bowl XLIII remains a top NFL play of all-time, which should undoubtedly help his candidacy. He retired a two-time Super Bowl champion and played in four Super Bowls in total. He was inducted into the Steelers Hall of Honor last year.
Both are deserving of the Pro Football Hall of Fame and should get in eventually. But being snubbed another year has Heyward rather frustrated and is starting to question the voters and their reasoning behind two all-time Steelers greats continuing to get passed over.
Check out the full episode of Not Just Football with Cam Heyward below.
