Peyton Manning, Charles Woodson and More Among 2021 Pro Football Hall of Fame Semifinalists
Bob Levey/Getty; David Livingston/Getty; Paul Zimmerman/Getty From left: Peyton Manning; Charles Woodson; Calvin Johnson
The list of the 25 semifinalists for the Pro Football Hall of Fame's class of 2021 has officially been revealed.
On Tuesday, the Hall of Fame announced the group of 25 NFL players — which includes quarterback Peyton Manning, wide receiver Calvin Johnson, safety Charles Woodson and defensive end Jared Allen — who are all eligible for the first time ever.
The list also includes four players – cornerback Eric Allen, tackle Willie Anderson, linebacker Cornelius Bennett and safety Rodney Harrison – "who are Semifinalists for the first time although previously eligible for the Hall of Fame," according to the Pro Football Hall of Fame's official website.
Cornerback Ronde Barber, tackle Tony Boselli, safety LeRoy Butler, guard Alan Faneca, wide receiver Torry Holt, safety John Lynch, linebacker Clay Matthews Jr., and linebacker Sam Mills are all semifinalists as well.
Defensive lineman Richard Seymour, wide receiver/special-teamer Steve Tasker, running back Fred Taylor, linebacker Zach Thomas, wide receiver Hines Ward, wide receiver Reggie Wayne, linebacker Patrick Willis, safety Darren Woodson and defensive tackle Bryant Young round out the list.
RELATED: This Is Us' Milo Ventimiglia to Give Opening Message for NFL's Steelers-Ravens Thanksgiving Game
BREAKING: 4 first-year eligible players are among the list of 25 Modern-Era Player Semifinalists for the Class of 2021.
More on the semifinalists: https://t.co/ZtQVFup3B2#PFHOF21 pic.twitter.com/ukCvmOWnrF— Pro Football Hall of Fame (@ProFootballHOF) November 24, 2020
In order to be eligible, former players are required to have been inactive for five consecutive seasons, according to NFL.com.
The list of semifinalists was minimized from an original group of 130 nominees, who were previously announced in September.
The list of 25 will soon be condensed to 15 finalists by the Hall of Fame's board of selectors. Then, early next year during the week before Super Bowl LV, the Class of 2021 will be announced.
"The next step in the selection process comes when the Semifinalists are trimmed to 15 Modern-Era Finalists," the Pro Football Hall of Fame's website states. "That list increases to 18 Finalists with the inclusion of the recommended nominees of the Hall of Fame's Coach, Contributor and Senior Committees: Tom Flores, Bill Nunn and Drew Pearson, respectively."
"While there is no set number for any class of enshrinees, the Bylaws for the Selection Committee provide that between four and eight new members will be selected," the website adds.
