It doesn’t seem like the Pro Football Hall of Fame will be giving Ken Stabler’s family a gold jacket and ring anytime soon.
By rule, the Hall of Fame doesn’t give those items to people enshrined posthumously. This was news to most, who were flabbergasted when the legendary Raiders quarterback's daughter, Kendra Stabler Moyes, revealed on social media that the family did not receive items given to living members of the 2016 Hall of Fame class.
Raiders owner Mark Davis, head coach Jack Del Rio and many other prominent NFL pundits derided the rule over the past week.
The Hall of Fame won’t budge. Not an inch.
The policy will was explained in to a press release sent out by the Hall of Fame on Tuesday afternoon. The Stabler family requested a policy review this summer, and the Hall of Fame chose to leave the rule unchanged.
Here’s the explanation, directly from the release:
“At no time in its 53-year history has the Hall of Fame presented either of these personal adornments posthumously or retroactively to a family member of a deceased Hall of Famer. The Hall of Fame believes, to the greatest extent possible, it should avoid creating or contributing to family disputes relative to ownership as well as the potential public sale or distribution of items intended for the exclusive use by a Hall of Famer.
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“The Hall of Fame Board of Trustees, at the request of the Stabler Family, reviewed this policy at its June 2016 meeting and determined that a change to the long-standing policy was not warranted.
“The Hall of Fame has always recognized the important role a family plays in the career of a Hall of Famer and presents to the families of posthumously enshrined members a Gold Hall of Fame Crest identical to what is otherwise featured only on the Hall of Fame Gold Jacket.”
Stabler was elected to the Hall of Fame as a senior committee nominee. He died from complications of colon cancer in 2015.