Still Waiting: For second straight year, Butler comes up short of Hall of Fame

LeRoy Butler will have to wait at least one more year before he can join the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Butler said he was notified Wednesday that he did not gain enough votes to be enshrined in Canton this year.

This was his second time being a Hall of Fame finalist, just one step away from joining the most elite group in professional football.

Despite the disappointment, the former Packers safety and famed inventor of the Lambeau Leap remains optimistic.

"Had I got in - and I'll prove this to you one day - had I got in, we'd be giving the same interview and I'd have the same face," Butler said, smiling, in an interview with NBC 26. "I didn't make it but think about all the guys who have never been in this position talking about missing the finals. So I have to think about that and it puts it in perspective."

Butler commended Green Bay Press Gazette columnist Pete Dougherty, who gave his pitch to Hall of Fame voters last week.

Asked to give his own pitch to the voters, Butler said: "I would just remind them back in the 90s what a safety was all about. A safety would cover, not just hit. A safety to me, would get sacks and interceptions.

"It's easy to get interceptions sometimes and it's sometimes easy to get sacks but when you do both, I think that's a Hall of Famer," he said.

Butler was the first defensive back in NFL history to record 20 career sacks and 20 career interceptions. He also described himself as a "difference-maker" and noted that longevity with one team should factor in, as well. He spent his entire 12-year career with the Packers.

This year's Pro Football Hall of Fame class will be announced February 6, the night before the Super Bowl. Former Packers cornerback Charles Woodson is expected to be one of this year's inductees.