Damar Hamlin Tears & Emotions from DeMarcus Ware & Darren Woodson

FRISCO - Dallas Cowboys legends DeMarcus Ware and Darren Woodson appeared here at The Star on Thursday to celebrate their advancement to the finalists list for the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s Class of 2023.

But they began the press conference with tears, emotions and thoughts about the fallen Buffalo Bills player Damar Hamlin.

"All of us are here and using this platform as a way to say we're praying for you, and get well soon,'' said Woodson. "“To Damar Hamlin and his family, we want to recognize you.”

Ware also pitched in, but only after a long, emotional and tearful period of silence.

"To be honest,'' Ware finally said, "I’m at a loss for words.”

Ware and Woodson, still in the mix as candidates as the present group of 15 will be pared down before the Super Bowl, also spoke on how fortunate they were to forge lengthy careers in this dangerous game.

But, said Woodson, "It's what you do. It's what football players have been doing since Day 1. You know the risks that are out there. We're going to pray for Damar Hamlin and his family. But we're cut from this cloth and you can ask some of the guys out on the field, yeah they're thinking about it, but they're going to walk out there and put the cleats on and the helmet on and went back to work.

'It's just part of who you are."

Ware, the all-time sack leader for the Cowboys with 117 sacks, finished his career with seven All-Pro selections (four first-team), nine Pro Bowls honors, two sack titles (2008, 2010) a Super Bowl win with the Denver Broncos and a spot on the NFL 2000s All-Decade team.

The easy and obvious argument we've often made: If you are "All-Decade,'' you are logically and by definition HOF-worthy.

Woodson has been a semifinalist for the HOF on six occasions, and coming into this year had never advanced beyond that. Woodson retired following the 2003 season as the franchise's all-time leading tackler who was also a five-time Pro Bowler, a four-time first-team All-Pro, and a three-time Super Bowl champion.

Additionally, Cowboys great Chuck Howley is a senior finalist for the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Class of 2023. The former Super Bowl MVP linebacker was a five-time first-team All-Pro selection and six-time Pro Bowler.

The final inductees will be announced on Super Bowl week on Feb. 9 during the NFL Honors TV show, and there will be other deserving candidates of course. The full list …

*Darrelle Revis

*Joe Thomas

*Devin Hester

*Torry Holt

*Reggie Wayne

*Andre Johnson

*Dwight Freeney

*Jared Allen

*Patrick Willis

*DeMarcus Ware

*Zach Thomas

*Darren Woodson

*Ronde Barber

*Albert Lewis

*Willie Anderson

Simply put: Ware and Woodson are the elite of the elite as players - and as ambassadors for the sport. ... And they proved that in their handling of a press conference that was supposed to be about their hopes ... and instead was in part about their tears.

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