Wrong Steve Smith Nominated To Pro Football Hall Of Fame UpdatedSteve Smith Sr. In a long, illustrious career for both the Panthers and the Ravens, he racked up nearly 1. He was consistent, exciting, and productive for longer than almost any other NFL pass catcher. With all those accomplishments, its no surprise to look at the official list of Hall of Fame nominees for the class of 2. Steve Smith under wide receivers, underlined as a newly eligible player. Captain Crunch Whistle Phone Hack. But wait You might be thinking, Steve Smith just retired after last season. Theres no way hes already eligible for the Hall of Fame, right Doesnt it take five years for thatSmart reader you are, because apparently, the Steve Smith on the Halls list is not the legendary one, but the former Giants receiver who, for one or two relevant years, forced you to do some extra clarification in your fantasy draft. This Smith has been out of the NFL since 2. He made one Pro Bowl, was a Super Bowl champ, and he led the NFC in receptions in 2. Thats a solid career, but its not even arguably a Hall of Fame one. We dont know for sure what the selection committee may have been thinking when they nominated Smith. However, the most logical explanation seems to be a pretty classic case of identity confusion, where the Giants Steve Smith was forgotten while the accolades of the Panthers Steve Smith, with his name right there on the ballot, caused the nominators to forget about that pesky five year rule. The list of nominees will go down to 2. November, so well probably see lesser Smiths Hall of Fame hopes end there. But who knows, maybe Fake Steve Smith still gets in over Terrell Owens. Update 1. 1 1. 4 p. ET Apparently, any person can nominate eligible players to the Pro Football Hall of Fame, according to the Hall of Fames website, which might explain this strange nomination. However, in the fan vote for the semifinalist selection, a picture of better Steve Smith is being used, even though hes not eligible screencap below.