Terrell Owens is opting to have his own personal Hall of Fame enshrinement ceremony this weekend rather than joining his fellow inductees in Canton, and he says a lot has been reported about his decision that is inaccurate.
Owens is celebrating on his own where he attended college at the University of Tennessee in Chattanooga. To his credit, the former star receiver made the most of it by taking some kids on a shopping spree at a Dick’s store.
#HOF pic.twitter.com/8ziyIdbYC1
— Terrell Owens (@terrellowens) August 3, 2018
Does it look like I'm missing something? https://t.co/Hv9QBkMiBa
— Terrell Owens (@terrellowens) August 3, 2018
Thanks to #Dicks for the shopping spree for the kids. #Chattanooga pic.twitter.com/vLF0Z1m9nK
— Terrell Owens (@terrellowens) August 3, 2018
Owens has taken a very public stance against the Hall of Fame voting process, and that is the reason he is boycotting Canton. While there was some talk about T.O. being upset that none of the teams he played for were fully supporting his induction, he reiterated on Friday that that is not the case.
“I understand why I made my decision. I don’t expect everyone to agree with me. But again, obviously the criteria and the system put in place for the Hall of Fame in order for guys like myself to be inducted, there are guidelines that the writers, the sportswriters, are supposed to adhere to,” Owens explained, per Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com. “It’s not, not being inducted the first or second ballot, but it’s about the process in which guys are nominated and ultimately inducted. There’s a flaw in that system. So this is not only about me, but it’s about the guys that went before me, that’s going to come after me. And I can make a stand for those guys so they won’t have to go through this situation.”
One of the reasons it took Owens so long to get into the Hall of Fame despite his outstanding numbers is the perception that he was a bad teammate. T.O. has gone to war with the media over those claims in the past, and that war has not ended.
Why would u tell lies ALL THESE YEARS and create the narrative that I was a bad teammate?! U & others chose to write negative stories based on a few ppl saying they didn't like me or I was a problem. All depended on who "U" spoke to https://t.co/h4tbdaO6tl
— Terrell Owens (@terrellowens) August 3, 2018
A lot of people think the drama Owens is creating leading up to the Hall of Fame ceremony is selfish, and it would be hard for the other members of his induction class to not feel that way. Between boycotting the ceremony and the debate over which team he should represent, T.O. has commanded a lot of attention for negative reasons.
