The Pro Football Hall of Fame has released their list of finalists for the Class of 2019.

This list – trimmed from 25 semifinalists – will be subsequently cut to 10 and then to five on Super Bowl weekend. The final five will then be put to a yes/no vote with regards to their potential induction; it takes 80 percent on that final vote to achieve enshrinement.

The list of finalists includes all three ballot newcomers and a number of extremely talented holdovers.

The Pro Football Hall of Fame announced the list of semifinalists for the Class of 2019 last week.

Three candidates in their first year of eligibility – tight end Tony Gonzalez, safety Ed Reed and cornerback Champ Bailey – lead the list. They’re joined by three coaches and 19 additional players to make up the group of 25.

From here, the group will subsequently be trimmed to 15 in early January. After that, the Selection Committee will meet on February 2 – the day before Super Bowl LIII – to decide the final class.

The Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio just got a little bigger.

Five players – linebackers Ray Lewis and Brian Urlacher, receivers Randy Moss and Terrell Owens and defensive back Brian Dawkins – were tapped for induction by the modern-era committee. Joining them will be Jerry Kramer and Robert Brazile via the senior committee and personnel executive Bobby Beathard as a contributor.

The list of finalists was trimmed from 15 to 10 and then to five, with those five being subject to a simple yea-or-nay vote – all five ultimately received the thumbs up.

The trio of first-time nominees that made the cut is an impressive bunch.

First-timers Lewis, Moss, Urlacher among 15 on ballot

Tomlinson, Warner, Taylor lead Canton’s 2017 class

It's too easy to take potshots at this year's incarnation of the Olympics Games. The Zika, the air and water pollution, the body parts washing up on shore - the punchlines are there to be had for even the worst late-night staff writer. And I have long held the opinion that the Olympics are the longest running and most boring reality television series in the history.