As the NFL's Pro Football Hall of Fame get ready for their biggest weekend of the year. there is a bit of a cloud hanging over the ceremonies. Terrell Owens won't be in attendance as he is inducted into the Hall of Fame, choosing to give a speech in a separate ceremony at the University of Tennessee Chattanooga.
Owens planned this a couple of months ago, but he hadn't givien the media a clear reason why he was skipping the Hall of Fame ceremony in Canton. Before an outing with the Boys and Girls Club on Friday, Owens did just that.
“I understand why I've made my decision,” Owens said via ESPN. “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 continued, saying this isn't about being a first or second-ballot Hall of Famer, but rather the entire process that players are elected by.
“This is not [about] not being inducted the first or second ballot, but it's about the process in which guys are nominated and ultimately inducted. There is 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.”
The Hall of Fame won't be acknowledging Owens during Saturday's inductions, but he is still going into the Hall of Fame and will get a bronze bust that will stay in Canton forever.
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