Family, friends and advocates of Jim Tyrer, a senior class nominee for the 2025 Pro Football Hall of Fame, were frustrated to see him fail to receive enough votes for induction.
Tyrer was a finalist for the first time in 45 years.
"Obviously, we were all disappointed that the Hall of Fame voters didn't see it the way the Blue Ribbon Senior Committee saw it in terms of my dad's candidacy," son Brad Tyrer told KCUR's Up To Date.
Tyrer's on-field credentials exceed that of other nominees, but his nomination was controversial because of his off-field actions.
Experts presume the retired, offensive-tackle was suffering from chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) when he killed his wife and then himself in 1980, according to "Beneath the Shadow," documentarian Kevin Patrick Allen.
Because the Pro Hall of Fame bylaws explicitly state only the athlete's on-field performance should be considered during candidacy, advocates say Tyrer should have been inducted — and hoped his case should be used to advance the conversation around CTE.
"I had hoped that there would be robust discussion that went beyond the bylaw, because I think it is important to speak to the very issues we've been talking about, about bringing CTE more into the open, and acknowledging that that is the monster in the room," said Kansas City Star sports columnist Vahe Gregorian, who is on the voting board of the HOF.
- Brad Tyrer, son of Jim Tyrer
- Kevin Patrick Allen, documentarian "Beneath the Shadow"
- Vahe Gregorian, sports columnist, The Kansas City Star
