F.T. Rea speaks on the greatest crime in the history of the NFL, that being Art Monk’s non-induction into the Hall of Fame:
Monk’s problem? He was a quiet, dutiful player who didn’t promote himself. He was a possession receiver and a great blocker, rather than a game-breaker. Monk simply played football in every game in a way that his teammates and his opponents, alike, respected. He was as stoic as Deion Sanders was loquacious.
Hall of Fame defensive back Ronnie Lott said, “Art Monk was an example for Jerry Rice. That’s what Jerry always told me. There’s nothing negative to say. He has the numbers, the catches, the championships. You have a Hall of Fame for all it represents. I know he represents all that it’s about: Integrity, love and passion for the game, community, what he gave back. Look how he conducted himself. Nobody I know deserves it more.”
I remember towards the disasterous Ritchie Petitbon experiment in 1993 that the Skins chose to bench (!) Art Monk because they were trying to put new recievers into the rotation.
Sure enough, us fans wouldn’t tolerate that, and when the cry of “We Want Monk” lasted long enough, Petitbon put Monk back into the game. Today, Redskins fans should take up the cry “We Want Monk” one last time… especially in the year we’re going to win the Super Bowl!