After lengthy wait, Paul Tagliabue heads to Hall of Fame

FILE - Houston businessman Bob McNair, left, and NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue smile during a press conference in Atlanta, in this Wednesday, Oct. 6, 1999, file photo. Houston rejoined the NFL, paying a record $700 million for an expansion franchise. During Paul Tagliabue’s 17-year stint as commissioner, the NFL experienced labor peace, saw skyrocketing television deals, construction of new stadiums across the nation and expansion to the current 32-team makeup. Despite those credentials that continued pro football’s surge to the top of American sports, it took until a special centennial class in 2020 for Tagliabue to be voted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame after retiring in 2006. (AP Photo/W. A. Harewood, File)

FILE - National Football League commissioner Paul Tagliabue, left, points to construction on the new New England Patriots football stadium as he examines the structure along with Patriots' owner Robert Kraft, center, and construction project director Terry McManus, right, at the site in Foxboro, Mass., in this Sunday, Nov. 19, 2000, file photo. During Tagliabue’s 17-year stint as commissioner, the NFL experienced labor peace, saw skyrocketing television deals, construction of new stadiums across the nation, and expansion to the current 32-team makeup.(AP Photo/Jim Rogash, File)

FILE - National Football League Commissioner Paul Tagliabue gestures while testifying on Capitol Hill before the Senate subcommittee on Antitrust, Business Rights, and Competition hearing on relocation of professional sports franchises, in this Wednesday, Nov. 29, 1995, file photo. Tagliabue’s 17-year stint as commissioner, the NFL experienced labor peace, saw skyrocketing television deals, construction of new stadiums across the nation, and expansion to the current 32-team makeup. Despite those credentials that continued pro football’s surge to the top of American sports, it took until a special centennial class in 2020 for Tagliabue to be voted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame after retiring in 2006. (AP Photo/Doug Mills, File)

FILE - NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue delivers his State of the NFL remarks ahead of Super Bowl XL in Detroit, in this Friday, Feb. 3, 2006, file photo. Tagliabue will be enshrined as part of the 2020 class voted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy, File)

FILE - National Football League Commissioner Paul Tagliabue holds the official game ball to be used for the kickoff of Super Bowl XXIV in New Orleans, during a press conference in New York, in this Jan. 11, 1990, file photo. Tagliabue’s impact on the sport was massive — comparable to virtually any league leader. And after a year’s delay due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Tagliabue will enter the Canton, Ohio shrine. (AP Photo/Marty Lederhandler, File)

FILE - NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue, right, speaks about rallying area businesses to provide long-term support for the New Orleans Saints, as team owner Tom Benson listens, in Metairie, La., in this Tuesday Feb. 14, 2006, file photo. One move Tagliabue never regretted was insisting the Saints remain a New Orleans franchise after owner Tom Benson sought to move the team to San Antonio following the devastation in the Big Easy from Hurricane Katrina. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File)