Terrell Owens has never had much difficulty in drawing negative attention to himself over the course of his playing career, but perhaps his most outrageous decision in the minds of some onlookers is the one that he just made recently.
In spite of the fact that he greatly values his enshrinement into the Pro Football Hall of Fame—especially after he was already snubbed for two years by the voters—he chose not to attend the ceremony, and will instead celebrate it at another location.
The prolific wide receiver recently announced where his ceremony will take place, and where he will give is speech, which will be at his alma mater, the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. The even will be open to the public with free admission on August 4,, the day of the Hall of Fame induction ceremony.
“I’m proud to be a Moc, and I’m honored to be able to share this experience with my family, friends, teammates, and fans at the place that provided me an opportunity beyond high school and where I truly began to find myself as an athlete”, Owens said in a statement. He added, “getcha popcorn ready!”.
It is unknown at this time if the NFL will choose to have cameras at the event and broadcast it on their own network. His decision not to attend the ceremony rubbed a lot of people the wrong way. And remember, the Hall of Fame wouldn’t even let Junior Seau’s daughter give his speech on the stage. She had to do it from a hallway or something, and that was only allowed after great public pressure.
The response to Owens’ decision, while unorthodox, has been nothing short of ridiculous, with multiple Pro Football Hall of Fame voters going so far as to say that they would not have voted for him if they had known that he would forego the ceremony.
Even Hall of Fame wide receiver Cris Carter said that he was “even more excited” about attending the event knowing that Owens would not be there. Though that is a somewhat ugly remark, however, at least he did not suggest that he doesn’t deserve to be in the Hall of Fame.
The fact that Owens had to wait for two years before he was voted into the Hall of Fame tells you a lot about the flaws in the voting process, where clearly too many factors beyond the playing field are being taken into consideration.
Let’s face it, there are a lot worse human beings in the Hall of Fame than Owens. I don’t want to go naming names and casting aspersions, whether deserved or not, but the eccentric wide receiver would frankly not be their worst brand ambassador, and anybody who goes on record to state that they wish they could have their vote back because of his decision not to attend should have his right to vote removed.
