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If Bill Belichick has any say — or any sway — with Hall of Fame voters, he’d like to make a case for former Patriots safety Rodney Harrison.

Harrison, who currently serves as an NBC analyst after playing 15 seasons in the NFL with the Chargers and Pats, was not among 26 semifinalists announced on Wednesday for the Class of 2022. Two other former New England defensive standouts — Vince Wilfork and Richard Seymour — made the list, which will be pared to 15 finalists for 2022 enshrinement in Canton, Ohio.

“I think that Rodney Harrison, 100 percent, [belongs] in that conversation,” Belichick said Friday. “I’ve coached some of the other safeties that have been enshrined in the Hall of Fame, and not taking anything away from them, but certainly Rodney Harrison belongs in that conversation, and he belongs in the conversation with other players that are already there.”


  Rodney Harrison playing for the Patriots in 2005. Getty Images Rodney Harrison playing for the Patriots in 2005. Getty Images

A two-time Pro Bowler, Harrison finished his career with 34 interceptions in 186 NFL games from 1994 to 2008. He also won Super Bowl titles with the Pats in 2003 and 2004.


  Bill Belichick thinks Rodney Harrison belongs in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. AP Bill Belichick thinks Rodney Harrison belongs in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. AP

“The Hall of Fame’s out of my control, and since there’s no criteria for the Hall of Fame, it’s really hard to even have a conversation about it,” Belichick said. “Because they’re not basing it on anything. It’s your opinion of a great player, my opinion of a great player, someone else’s opinion of a great player, I don’t know what that means.

“Is it how many years they played? How many All-Pros they had? How many championships they won? Is it individual stats? You can make it whatever you want to make it. So there’s no criteria. You can make a case for everybody and ultimately the voters have to decide.”


  Bill Belichick and Rodney Harrison hug as Harrison is inducted into the Patriots Hall of Fame in 2019. Boston Globe via Getty Images Bill Belichick and Rodney Harrison hug as Harrison is inducted into the Patriots Hall of Fame in 2019. Boston Globe via Getty Images

Belichick also said that Wilfork and Seymour were “the two best defensive linemen that I’ve coached,” adding “In my Hall of Fame, those two guys are there without a doubt.”

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