According to David Newton of ESPN.com, the North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame is about to have a new member. That would be North Carolina and Carolina Panthers legend Julius Peppers, of course.
This is one of the more obvious inductions into a Hall of Fame you'll see.
Peppers was born-and-raised in North Carolina. Then he went to the University of North Carolina, where he dominated. That led to him being selected No. 2 overall in the 2002 NFL Draft.
Who drafted Peppers? The Panthers of course. Peppers played there for the first eight seasons of his career.
After Carolina, Peppers spent four years with the Chicago Bears, then three years with the Green Bay Packers. Finally, he went back to the Panthers for the final two seasons of his career.
Peppers' illustrious career ended in 2018, after 17 seasons. During that time, he racked up incredible numbers. They included 719 tackles (175 for loss), 159.5 sacks, 52 forced fumbles, 21 fumble recoveries, 82 pass deflections, 11 interceptions and six defensive touchdowns.
It should also be noted that Peppers was not just a great player. He was loved by teammates, fans and opponents. One of those players that it seemed he had the respect and admiration of everyone that crossed paths with him.
It was only a matter of time before he started getting the recognition following his retirement.
And if we're being honest, this likely isn't the last Hall of Fame Peppers will be inducted into. There is a pretty big one tied to the NFL that could be calling his name in a few seasons. He certainly has all the credentials to land there.
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