The Pro Football Hall of Fame is reportedly on track to make an example out of Terrell Owens.
After the former wide receiver’s Saturday snubbing of the Hall of Fame induction ceremony to have his own celebration at his alma mater, the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, the Hall of Fame is considering making candidates commit to attending the ceremony before the selection committee makes its final choices, according to Pro Football Talk.
The main fear of the Hall of Fame is that Owens might not be the last to pull the stunt.
If this idea becomes a reality, the Hall of Fame hopes to have the 25 semifinalists sign an agreement that commits them to showing up if selected. Not signing it presumably could have an obvious penalty: not being elected.
Owens, who was passed over twice in previous years, used his Hall of Fame speech to express his frustrations with the selection process, claiming he wanted to “stand here to put truth to power.”
“It’s about the mere fact that the sports writers are not in alignment with the mission and core values of the Hall of Fame,” Owens, 44, said in a post-speech news conference in Chattanooga. “These writers disregarded the system, criteria and by-laws by which guys are inducted, and ultimately the true meaning of the Hall of Fame and what it represents.”
Owens’ name was not mentioned in Canton during the ceremony, and he admitted that it “stung.”
“The continued attack on me as a person and not recognizing my skill set and ability — I’ll never forget it,” said Owens, who last played a game for the Bengals in 2010.
“I didn’t understand how to be PC or what politics were,” Owens said. “My intention as far as my answers were pure. [Media] made it seem like I was throwing someone under the bus. I answered honestly, not really thinking of the after-effect. People misconstrued a lot of things I said. It was a hard battle. Now with the social media platform, guys can correct some of that.”
Getting inducted into the Hall of Fame apparently hasn’t slowed Owens down. He reportedly tried out for the Saskatchewan Roughriders of the Canadian Football League just one day after his off-site ceremony.