Art Monk's induction rewards the modest

• Published August 05, 2008

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from Brendan Funtek

Art Monk was inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame Saturday and given nearly a four-minute standing ovation that ESPN's Tom Jackson said is the longest he's ever witnessed.

Why the immense adulation for a guy who never caught more than eight touchdowns in a season and averaged 13.5 yards a reception for his career?

Because Monk was a rare prototype that the game has always sorely needed: the quiet, diligent wide receiver. I've always defended the right for a receiver to exuberantly celebrate his on-field accomplishments and have always tongue-clucked the fines handed down by the league for such displays.

But the guy I grew up watching and idolizing never needed to be flashy and I respect Monk's model of endurance far more than I ever could the showboat receivers. His modern-day comparison would be Marvin Harrison but Monk formed the slot receiver role better, dependable for third down catches up the middle, able to sustain contact. Yet both players share a similar work ethic that tends to be record-breaking.

When last year's induction group brought in the Dallas Cowboys' Michael Irvin, I was definitely upset with the HOF standards which appeared to reward guys for what television broadcasting deals they had secured. Irvin's numbers weren't as good as Monk's but because he bared his emotions more, HOF voters probably felt the sentiments pressing. Needless to say, I found the long-running induct-Monk online petitions to fill out in bitter consolation.

Watching Monk's induction speech (available here), I couldn't help toward the end but to think of the voters who had denied Monk the previous seven years. Especially when Monk mentioned his recently deceased father from two years ago. But Monk was not alluding those deeply personal family sentiments to the snubs. In fact, he addressed the 'controversy' surrounding his long-term wait earlier and although he commended fans for their support, Monk said, right on the Canton stage, that being inducted into the Hall of Fame does not define his identity.

It was a mature response to the stubborn voters who had denied him all those years. Monk never needed their accolades and was likely prepared for a life without the Hall of Fame. Monk's belated induction served as an important benchmark for the writers involved in the selection process. Michael Wilbon, a Hall of Fame voter and Monk supporter, of the Washington Post expressed it best:

"We claim in today's sporting culture to value players who shut up and do what the coach asks for the good of the team, sacrificing personal statistics and goals for the good of the team. Then, at Hall of Fame selection time, we in the selection room too often asked, "Where are his stats?"

Now that the Monk situation has been remedied, another glaring omission in Canton needs to be addressed.

That of the untimely death of Kansas City linebacker and nine-time Pro Bowl selection Derrick Thomas, gone at 33. For whatever reason, perhaps because he isn't here personally to thank the voters, Thomas has been stuck at finalist status. It will be an emotional day when Thomas is inducted for those averse to grief but it's necessary to maintaining the credibility of a Hall displaying its greatest who ever played.