The May NFL Owners Meetings have held a special place in the heart of Minnesota Vikings owner Mark Wilf.
It was during these meetings that the Wilf family became the principal owners of the Vikings 20 years ago in 2005. Throughout those 20 years, the Vikings have grown to be one of the classiest organizations in the National Football League.
They have gone through a lot during the Wilf's ownership, and the health of the organization is better than ever.
Harrison Smith deserves to be in the Hall of Fame
There is one player on the Vikings' roster who has been there for the majority of the Wilf's time as owners: safety Harrison Smith. He was the 29th overall pick in the 2012 NFL Draft and the Vikings liked him so much that they moved up to get him.
Talking to Paul Allen at the owners meetings, Wilf made the case that Smith deserves to be in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
"He's honestly a marvel. I think, of course, we believe, he's going to be in that Hall of Fame in Canton one day. The way he goes about his business, the Ultimate Pro. He takes care of himself. He's a hard worker. From the day we drafted him 14 years ago, hard to believe, right? One of the highlights of our football Taking if you will, is Harrison Smith and the way he goes about it. All Pro all the time, on and off the field, and we couldn't be happier for all successes, and hopefully we're going to get over that hump on the championship this year, and he deserves a ring, too."
It shouldn't be much of a surprise that Wilf believes Smith should make the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He signed off on a contract that had a Hitman to HOF clause in it this past March.
With 37 interceptions and 20.5 sacks in his career, Smith is one of just five players to achieve that mark, and the other four are enshrined in Canton, Ohio. It will take a few years to get him there, but he certainly deserves it.
