Executives at the Hall, the league and the networks looked at ways to speed up the ceremony. None of the options were used, though, because they might embarrass the speakers, said Rich Desrosiers, a spokesman for the Hall. One solution was to enlist Jezra Kaye, a professional writing coach, in 2021 to work with inductees on improving — and shortening — their speeches. Kaye, a former jazz singer and romance novel writer living in Brooklyn, said it doesn’t matter that she knows next to nothing about football. “Anyone who doesn’t use a speech coach in this situation is an idiot,” he said.

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Persons: Rich Desrosiers, Jezra Kaye, Kaye, ” Kaye, “, ” Joe Thomas, Ken Riley, —, Thomas, ” Organizations: Cleveland Browns, of Fame Locations: Brooklyn