NFL

Julius Peppers has been called many things during his athletic career. Franchise-changing draft pick. North Carolina legend. Basketball prodigy, even. One teammate even liked to refer to him as “the next evolution of man.” Tonight, Julius Peppers gained another identifier, and the most appropriate one yet, considering a career spent changing the game.  First-ballot Hall of Famer.  Peppers was announced as part of the seven-member Class of 2024 of the Pro Football Hall of Fame Thursday night at NFL Honors and will be enshrined in Canton, Ohio, in August. He was joined in the class by modern-era classmates Patrick Willis, Andre Johnson, Devin Hester, and Dwight Freeney, along with seniors candidates Steve McMichael and Randy Gradishar. He’s the second Panthers legend in three years to be inducted (following linebacker Sam Mills in 2022) and the first player drafted by the Panthers to be inducted into the Hall.