The Pro Football Hall of Fame will announce the 2016 induction class on Saturday evening at the annual NFL Honors program. The event is taped from 5-7 p.m. PT, and will air from 6-8 p.m. ET/PT on CBS. They will announce all the annual awards, but at some point they will introduce the new class.
The voters' meeting takes place during the day on Saturday. They will vote yes/no on Eddie DeBartolo, and if he gets 80 percent of the vote, he gets in. They will then look at the 15 regular finalists, cut down to ten, and then cut down to the five players/coaches that will be inducted this coming August. There is a very good chance this information will leak out in advance of the NFL Honors program, so we'll be keeping an eye out for any news.
Eddie DeBartolo is the big name for San Francisco 49ers fans. But we also will be looking for news on Terrell Owens. The one-time 49ers wide receiver put up strong Hall of Fame-caliber numbers, but the off-field stuff could potentially stand in his way. There are some great wide receivers who have taken extra time to get in, so it would not surprise me if the voters held him up for a year.
Steve Mariucci said TO is a Hall of Fame wide receiver, but he also said, "if he does not get in this year, he'll get in next year. If he does not get in next year, he'll get in the following year." Given his own history with TO, he recognizes the issues that play into this vote.