Ty Law: Peyton Manning also wrote a letter to Hall of Fame

Former Patriots cornerback Ty Law, less than a month away from his Hall of Fame induction, shared some interesting thoughts on the process recently.

It’s been almost 10 years since Ty Law last took a snap as a professional football player. Over that timespan, he’s devoted his attention to his family, to other business pursuits, and to generally creating a life for himself post-NFL.

When word got out that Law was a finalist for the Pro Football Hall of Fame last January, many people probably assumed the former New England cornerback was thrilled. He may very well have been, too, but at least according to Law’s own words, he was also more than a little skeptical about his chances of finally getting enshrined.

After all, this year marked his third opportunity at getting a bust in Canton. The previous two instances, he didn’t make the final cut.

Here’s what Law said to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, courtesy of WEEI’s Ryan Hannable:

“You look at the numbers, and of course, yes I had the numbers, and you look at the championships, but for whatever reason, and I still think it’s still like that today, is as much winning as we’re continuing to do, it’s like we are looked at as a team,” Law told Schefter, referencing the Patriots’ mystique.

“That’s it, like there’s no other players worthy of that, at least from the media perspective when it comes to the Patriots. It’s Tom Brady, Bill Belichick and everybody else, you know what I mean?”

Law’s point is that while Brady and Belichick are surefire Hall of Famers, all the other individual members of the Patriots teams from the past two decades are perhaps at a disadvantage when it comes to individual recognition… simply because they’re playing (or played) for the Patriots. It’s the only real downside to being a part of a dynastic run – each player’s individual contributions get overlooked and overshadowed by the astronomical collective success of the team.

Law continued:

"“I didn’t know what people thought about me and the rest of us. You pretty much know, Tom Brady is the greatest of all time. There’s no doubt about that. There’s no question about Coach Belichick. When you hear about our team, it was like to me, we have a hell of a lot of players out there that can play. You can’t do it by just two guys. I think we were molded like this through perception in the media that there was probably no other Hall of Fame players outside of that, which now we know was totally wrong. I think that I should be the first of a few more, to be honest with you.”"

Richard Seymour was another Patriot from New England’s first dynasty that made it as far as being a HOF finalist this year before ultimately losing out. It still was just his first year of eligibility, so he’ll probably have more chances in the ensuing years… and yet nothing is guaranteed, especially if Law’s contention of an anti-Patriots bias really does exist within the minds of voters.

A more intriguing takeaway from Law’s conversation on Schefter’s podcast had to do with a player he very often tormented during his NFL career. While it was widely reported that both Brady and Belichick took time to send in letters on Law’s behalf to the Hall of Fame in support of his candidacy, former Colts/Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning also reportedly sent in a statement vouching for Law as well.

Law shared how grateful he was for an ex-rival player to write on his behalf; especially given Manning’s reputation as one of the greatest to ever play the sport.

“When you get great quarterbacks – and no one can question the greatness and careers that (Brady and Manning) have had – to be able to (send letters) and say that they feel I am worthy of (enshrinement), I think that was awesome.”