Terrell Owens Got His Perceived Revenge on the Hall of Fame

Terrell Owens has always been a man driven by his emotions. It’s simultaneously his greatest strength and his greatest flaw as a player and person.

His high emotions led him to become the second all-time leading receiver in NFL history. In 15    years spanning five different franchises, he racked up 1,078 catches for 15,934 yards and 153 touchdowns. Only Jerry Rice surpassed him in total amount of production over a career. There is no better company to keep in NFL history. However, at the same time, those emotions also led him to become a lightning rod for controversy.

His celebration antics in San Francisco. His public feud with Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb and eventual falling out in Dallas with Tony Romo and the Cowboys. It’s amazing to think that a guy so good at what he does kept getting himself run out of town because teams just couldn’t take the distractions anymore. This was because T.O. loved the spotlight and seized any and all opportunities to claim it.

Those years gave him plenty of experience on how to do it. He waited for his next opportunity and it finally came when he announced he would not attend the ceremony at Canton for his Hall of Fame induction.

Terrell Owens isn’t fooling anybody with his family copout

Owens tried to play it off as him just wishing to celebrate with his loved ones. The thing is he easily could’ve done that at the ceremony. Instead this move has all the trappings of a power play. One meant to get a measure of revenge. What in the world for, you may ask? Let’s not forget that Owens was passed up by Hall of Fame voters not once, but twice for induction before finally getting in this year. The receiver didn’t take too kindly to that, calling it a “total joke” when he failed to get in the second time.

Maybe Owens is a man who can forgive, but clearly he’s not one to forget. Going to Canton at this point would’ve been attuned to him saying all was well. Instead he turns down his invitation outright, something no player physically able to make the trip has ever done before. That is not an accident. He wanted to send a message that while he accepts the Hall of Fame nod, he doesn’t accept their blessing that comes with it. They lost his respect when he didn’t get in the first time.

Anybody who thinks this wasn’t a calculated maneuver isn’t seeing the picture. If Owens had no plans to attend, he could’ve said so after hearing his induction news. Problem is that wouldn’t have had as big an impact. Why? The Super Bowl was happening a day after the announcement. So he waited until the middle of the summer when there were no big events happening and dropped the bomb for maximum effect.

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Speculation? Sure. Something Owens would absolutely do? Without question.