Green Bay Packers legend named Pro Football Hall of Fame finalist

Green Bay Packers legend LeRoy Butler, a former defensive back, was named a finalist for the 2022 Pro Football Hall of Fame class. This marks the third consecutive year that Butler has been named one of the 15 finalists for the Pro Football Hall of Fame, and the inductees will be announced the day before the Super Bowl, which is set to kickoff on Feb. 13.

A native of Jacksonville, Florida, the safety attended Florida State and was selected by the Green Bay Packers in the second round, with the 48th overall pick in the 1990 NFL Draft. Butler went on to play 12 seasons in the NFL, all 12 of them spent with the Green Bay Packers, and he tallied 889 career tackles, including 20.5 career sacks, 38 career interceptions and 13 forced fumbles. He was named to four NFL Pro Bowls, included on the NFL’s 1990s All-Decade Team and was named a first-team All-Pro four times in his career.

“Once again my teammates were amazing!! That’s the reason I’m a finalist for the Pro Football Hall of Fame again,” Butler said on Twitter. “Thank you guys, and playing for one team is amazing as well. Packers fans are platinum.”

Butler was the first player in NFL history to record 20 interceptions and 20 sacks in his career, eclipsing the interception mark with ease. He played a total of 181 regular-season games with the Packers, and he was apart of the Green Bay team that won Super Bowl XXXI, 35-21, against the No. 2 seed New England Patriots, coached by head coach Bill Parcells.

Butler was a critical piece of defensive coordinator Fritz Shurmur’s defense during that Super Bowl run and for the duriation of Shurmur’s coaching career with Green Bay. Three other individuals on that Super Bowl-winning Packers team are already in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in quarterback Brett Farve, defensive end Reggie White and general manager Ron Wolf.

There is no overall set number for each Pro Football Hall of Fame class, so it’s hard to pinpoint Butler’s odds of making it in, given the 15-person list of finalists. The bylaws for the selection committee say that between four and eight members will be selected; however, only a maximum of five can come from the 15 modern-era finalists.