Why Hall of Fame Weekend means so much to Ronde Barber
Madison Tenenbaum sat down with Ronde Barber to discuss what makes Hall of Fame Weekend so special and reflect on competing against Drew Brees and Luke Kuechly.
If Adam Vinatieri’s goal was to make his Hall of Fame speech memorable, it appears he was successful.
As the former placekicker was enshrined into the Pro Football Hall of Fame as a member of its class of 2026, he made sure to bring the jokes and roasts at the expense of former teammates.
As clips of Vinatieri’s speech went viral on the internet, Hall of Fame defensive tackle Warren Sapp was among the most amused members of the live audience in Canton, Ohio.
According to USA TODAY Sports’ Jarrett Bell, Sapp ran backstage cackling during the event after hearing Vinatieri’s shot at former Patriots head coach Bill Belichick.
“He’s going to burn every bridge going in,” Sapp said.
One of Vinatieri’s former teammates, Peyton Manning, was the subject of another roast by the former kicker, though his reaction did not appear to indicate that any bridges had been burnt.
“Humble kicker,” Manning said, shrugging, after Vinatieri made a joke about the size of the former quarterback’s head, according to Bell.
Afterward, Manning took photos and hung out with Vinatieri’s family. No hard feelings.
Vinatieri’s memorable speech and roasts perhaps overshadowed the kicker’s extensive resume that led to his enshrinement this weekend. A four-time Super Bowl champion and three-time first-team All-Pro, Vinatieri holds NFL records for most points scored (2,673), most consecutive field goals made (44), most career field goals made (599) and most career overtime field goals (11).
The kicker is one of just three primary placekickers to enter Canton, joining Jan Stenerud (class of 1991), Morten Andersen (class of 2017)