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Isaac Bruce had to wait too long for election into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Now, he must wait another year for induction into the Canton, Ohio, museum.
The NFL and Hall of Fame decided to postpone this year’s events because of the coronavirus pandemic. Both the Hall of Fame game between the Dallas Cowboys and the Pittsburgh Steelers, and the induction ceremony (the highlight of the weekend) will be held next year.
LA Rams fans who want to go to Canton to support Bruce, one of the most important players in team history, should mark August 2021 on their calendars.
Tentative dates for the 2021 Pro Football Hall of Fame mega-event, pending how the rest of the NFL calendar shakes out:
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) June 25, 2020
Thursday, Aug. 5: Steelers-Cowboys HOF game
Saturday, Aug. 7: Class of 2020 enshrinement
Sunday, Aug. 8: Class of 2021 enshrinement
In the big picture, the decision to postpone this event is clearly understandable, but it stinks that Bruce has to wait longer. He has waited five years for induction and finally got in 2020.
The wide receiver journey to the Hall of Fame has been a logjam for years and Bruce fell victim to it. But his production finally allowed him to get in this year.
Bruce, whose No. 80 is retired by the Rams, had 1,024 career catches and 15,208 receiving yards. A second-round pick out of Memphis in 1994, Bruce played 14 seasons for the Rams before ending his career with the 49ers. He was a huge part of the 1999 “Greatest Show on Turf” squad that won the Rams’ only Super Bowl in team history.
Bruce, 47, will eventually get his gold jacket, his bust, his ring and be able to give the speech of his life. But it will, unfortunately, have to wait a year.