The Pro Football Hall of Fame announced the class of 2017, and two players with San Francisco 49ers connections did not make the cut. Terrell Owens was shut out in his second straight year as a finalist, while John Lynch was shut out in his fourth year as a finalist.
Lynch put together a fantastic career between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Denver Broncos. I would not be surprised if he got in eventually, but there are a lot of strong candidates that could keep him waiting.
Lynch spoke with Broncos beat writer Mike Klis after the news. He said he was disappointed, but also said, “I’ve got enough going on, anyway.”
New 49er GM/former Bronco John Lynch on not getting elected HOF: "Sure, it's disappointing. But I've got enough going on, anyway.'' #9sports
— Mike Klis (@MikeKlis) February 5, 2017
It would have been interesting to see how the enshrinement ceremony might have gone for the new 49ers GM. The gold jacket is presented the first Friday in August, and the enshrinement ceremony is the next day. I imagine he would have flown out maybe Thursday night or Friday morning, and then flown back to Santa Clara Saturday night or Sunday morning. After all, the 49ers will be practicing that week and roster decisions will be arriving a couple weeks later. So, he’ll keep plenty busy either way on Hall of Fame weekend.