For the first time in the Pro Football Hall of Fame history, an inducted player has declined the invitation to the ceremony as former star NFL wide receiver Terrell Owens announced on Thursday morning that he has decided to not be at the event later this summer.
This has quickly led to a response by Hall of Fame President and CEO David Baker to release a statement that voiced the disappointment with Owens' decision but looked forward to the rest of the enshrinees that will be present, according to Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk.
“We are disappointed but will respect Terrell’s decision not to participate in the Enshrinement,” Hall of Fame President & CEO David Baker said in a statement. “While unprecedented, the Pro Football Hall of Fame, the nearly 5,000 volunteers and the entire community are committed to celebrating the excellence of the Class of 2018 that will kick off the NFL’s 99th season.”
There is still a stacked Hall of Fame class for this year that is led by the likes of Ray Lewis, Randy Moss, Brian Urlacher, Brian Dawkins, and Jerry Kramer. It does bring it a down a notch given the high-profile that Owens has carried throughout his career as one of the biggest characters and most productive wide receivers in league history.
Owens has indicated that he will do an enshrinement ceremony at some point in the future that will give him some essence of that experience. However, it won't be held traditionally in front of many of the game's greatest players that have also previously received that prestigious honor.
This shouldn't take away from what Owens did on the field that put him in the position to be inducted into the Hall of Fame, but it does impact the way his former peers and NFL community will view him.
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