Seymour becomes next Patriots Hall of Fame member.

Defensive end Richard Seymour is the latest member of the Patriots Hall of Fame.

It's not a surprise. Defensive end Richard Seymour has won the popular vote for the next berth in the Patriots Hall of Fame.

Now, the matter goes to the Electoral College, and … surprise! Bill Parcells wins!

No, just kidding.

Truth be told, Seymour is very deserving of the honor and was my preference if Parcells, the Patriots' coach from 1993-96, had not been elected. He was a dominating figure on the Patriots' defensive line, and to be honest, I thought he could have been for longer than he was if not for the fact that he somehow got on Bill Belichick's ca-ca list after eight seasons and got himself traded to Football Hell (i.e., Oakland) for the next four.

And people seem to have such issues with how people leave the team. Ah, well.

I'm sure many of you will wonder if this means the end of Parcells' candidacy after four unsuccessful tries. I assure you, it will not. I'm sure than unless someone else beats me to it, he will be nominated again next year for a place on the ballot. The same will probably be the case for linebacker Mike Vrabel, who is now in an 0-for-5 slump over the past five votes. Just remember, it's not a kiss of death to be unsuccessful several times; Raymond Clayborn got into the Hall on his fourth time on the ballot.

The only thing I regret is that the team does not announce the final vote tally -- either during the nominating committee's balloting or the fan vote. I think it should. Especially on the nominations -- I'm not looking for the identity of voters, just the way the points totaled when the votes were cast. I think I'll bring it up with the powers-that-be at some point.

Here is the press release from the Patriots announcing Seymour's election:

The New England Patriots announced today that former defensive lineman Richard Seymour has been voted by the fans as the 30th inductee into the Patriots Hall of Fame. Seymour joins Troy Brown (2012), Tedy Bruschi (2013), Kevin Faulk (2016), Ty Law (2014), Matt Light (2018) and Willie McGinest (2015), as the seventh player to enter the Patriots Hall of Fame as a three-time Super Bowl champion with the team.

“Richard Seymour laid the foundation for a defense that helped propel the Patriots to three Super Bowl championships in his first four seasons in the NFL,” said Patriots Chairman and CEO Robert Kraft. “Richard was the consummate professional and leader, always accepting the roles he was assigned, putting team goals ahead of personal ones, and in turn, raising the game of everyone around him. Yet as great as he was as a player, he is a Hall of Fame-caliber person, as well. I couldn’t be happier for Richard and the Seymour family, and I am looking forward to celebrating with them as Richard takes his rightful place in the Patriots Hall of Fame and very soon the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton.”

The date and time for the 2020 Patriots Hall of Fame induction ceremony will be announced at a later date.

Seymour spent the first eight seasons of his 12-year NFL career with the Patriots and played an important role in delivering six division titles, four conference crowns and three Super Bowl championships to New England. He was named to five straight Pro Bowls with the Patriots (2002-06) and earned three straight first-team All-Pro honors (2003-05). His five Pro Bowl berths are the most by any Patriots defensive lineman since the 1970 NFL merger. He was also a four-time team co-captain. In 2009, he was voted to the Patriots 50th Anniversary Team and the 2000s All-Decade Team. Seymour has been a finalist for the Pro Football Hall of Fame for the last two years.

Seymour was drafted by the Patriots sixth overall in the first round of the 2001 NFL Draft out of Georgia. He immediately established himself as one of the team’s premier players and helped the Patriots win their first Super Bowl during his rookie season. During his time with the Patriots, he anchored a defense that allowed an average of 17.8 points per game and fewer than 20 points per game in six of his eight seasons with New England. Seymour also blocked a franchise record six regular season field goals in his career, plus one in postseason play.

Overall, Seymour started in 105-of-111 games, totaling 460 tackles and 39 sacks. He also recorded two interceptions and six fumble recoveries. Seymour played in 15 postseason games with 13 starts and added 66 total tackles, 4½ sacks and two fumble recoveries. On Oct. 3, 2004, he scored his first career touchdown on a fumble recovery that he returned 68 yards in a 31-17 win at Buffalo. Seymour was traded to Oakland in the summer of 2009, where he played the final four years of his career, producing two additional Pro Bowl seasons.

Beginning in 2007, the Patriots started a new tradition, inducting one player or head coach into the team’s hall of fame each year. The process for induction involves a panel of media, alumni and staff who collectively nominate the players or head coaches most deserving of induction. After the nominations are made, the committee votes and the top three tallies become that year’s finalists. The Patriots then give fans the opportunity to vote online to select each year’s hall of fame inductee. The Patriots are the only team in the NFL that allows their fans to make the final selection for enshrinement into the franchise’s highest honor.

The New England Patriots held their annual nomination committee meeting on Monday, April 13, to vote for this year’s candidates for induction into the Patriots Hall of Fame. The finalists (listed in alphabetical order) were head coach Bill Parcells, defensive lineman Richard Seymour and linebacker Mike Vrabel.

About the Patriots Hall of Fame Presented by Raytheon

The Patriots Hall of Fame was officially formed in 1991 after John Hannah became the first Patriots player to be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. With the construction of the Patriots Hall of Fame presented by Raytheon, which opened in 2008, the Patriots created a new way of honoring their greatest players and preserving their legacies for generations to come. Enshrinement into the Patriots Hall of Fame is the franchise’s highest honor befitting of the franchise’s greatest players and features 30-foot tall video pylons that display each hall of famer. Beginning in 2007, fans became part of the hall of fame tradition as active participants in the selection process.

The members:

Houston Antwine (2015)
Bruce Armstrong (2001)
Drew Bledsoe (2011)
Troy Brown (2012)
Tedy Bruschi (2013)
Nick Buoniconti (1992)
Gino Cappelletti (1992)
Raymond Clayborn (2017)
Ben Coates (2008)
Sam Cunningham (2010)
Bob Dee (1993)
Kevin Faulk (2016)
Leon Gray (2019)
Steve Grogan (1995)
John Hannah (1991)
Rodney Harrison (2019)
Mike Haynes (1994)
Jim Lee Hunt (1993)
Ty Law (2014)
Matt Light (2018)
Willie McGinest (2015)
Stanley Morgan (2007)
Jon Morris (2011)
Jim Nance (2009)
Steve Nelson (1993)
Vito “Babe” Parilli (1993)
Richard Seymour (2020)
Andre Tippett (1999)

Contributors:

William H. “Billy” Sullivan, Jr. (2009)
Gil Santos (2013)