CANTON, Ohio — Luke Kuechly always has a plan, and then a redundancy.
But there is no film study that will help you know how to put a 40-pound bronze version of your own head on a wall.
Moments after the end of Saturday's Pro Football Hall of Fame enshrinement ceremony, Kuechly and the rest of this year's Class of 2026 stepped inside the gallery of the museum and placed their busts on the shelf where they'll reside.
And as Kuechly approached his on a pedestal with the Hall logo, he looked a little stumped.
After placing his hands around the base, he couldn't quite get a comfortable grip.
So he grabbed it around the neck, laughed, and said, "Choke him," before placing it on the small shelf.
But of course, he's Luke Kuechly; everything has to be just right.
He looked under the clear shelf to make sure it was even, and joked that he was worried it might fall off.
Then he looked over at the Hall of Fame's vice president of archives and exhibits, Jon Kendle, and joked: "It's your problem now."
With that, there were a few pictures with family and sculptor Ben Hammond, who created the likeness that had a cinematic quality, and his official duties for the day were done.
He got his gold jacket Friday night, gave an emotional-yet-succinct speech earlier in the afternoon, and now he can exhale.
Luke Kuechly's finally — and also firmly — in the Hall of Fame, where he'll look across the aisle of the gallery and be looking straight at Julius Peppers, the man who greeted him to the Hall and put the jacket on him.
Now the work is almost done — he has one final appearance tomorrow — before he can head home and once again become Luke Kuechly, the normal guy, who's not normal at all.
Because normal guys don't have bronze busts in Canton.
See photos of Panthers legend Luke Kuechly during his weekend in Canton, Ohio for his induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
