Favre, T.O. among 1st-year nominees

CANTON, Ohio — Brett Favre is back in the news — no, he’s not attempting another comeback.

Favre was among the 108 modern-day nominees for the Pro Football Hall of Fame class of 2016 announced Wednesday night. The NFL’s career leader in nearly every passing category when he retired after the 2010 season and winner of the 1997 Super Bowl with Green Bay, Favre leads a strong list of firsttime nominees.

That group includes Terrell Owens, one of the league’s most prolific and dynamic receivers for most of his 15 pro seasons, and Alan Faneca, an elite blocker who made six All-Pro teams at guard in his 13 seasons.

Other first-year-eligible nominees are safety Lawyer Milloy; running backs Brian Westbrook and Clinton Portis; place-kicker John Carney; and linebackers Keith Bulluck and Mike Vrabel.

Already nominated by the seniors committee are Ken Stabler and Dick Stanfel. The 2016 contributor candidate is former 49ers owner Edward DeBartolo, Jr.

The nominees consist of 93 players (51 on offence, 33 on defence, 9 from special teams) and 15 coaches. They will be trimmed to 25 semifinalists in November and, from there, to 15 finalists in January.

Voting will culminate Feb. 6, the night before the Super Bowl. While there is no set number for any class of enshrinees, the selection process bylaws provide that between four and eight new members will be selected.