鈥?Terrell Owens came in wearing a suit spotted with the Pro
Football Hall of Fame logo and swapped that out for the prized gold jacket.His
bust? That remained 600 miles away in Canton
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this year’s Hall of Fame class, leaving the stage at the University of Tennessee
at Chattanooga all alone to Owens.And yes, the man known as T.O. later brought
out a big bucket of popcorn.Owens entered the Pro Football Hall of Fame in a
celebration uniquely his own Saturday afternoon at his alma mater before
approximately 3,000 fans who frequently cheered, chanted “T.O.” and gave him the
occasional standing ovation. Owens also made clear why he chose to enter the
Hall of Fame with a ceremony in Chattanooga instead of with Ray Lewis, Randy
Moss and former Eagles teammate Brian Dawkins in Ohio.“A lot of people say that
I may regret not being in Canton 10, 15, 20 years from now,” Owens said. “But
just like my choice to be here today
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will leave a legacy that will leave an imprint on this world forever.”Owens used
part of a speech lasting about 39 minutes to explain why he was in Chattanooga
instead of Canton, addressing the “elephant in the room.”“It’s not because of
how many times it took for me to be voted to the hall,” said Owens, who got in
on his third try 鈥?the same as Joe Namath, for example. “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.“These writers disregarded the system, the criteria
and bylaws in which guys are inducted, and ultimately the true meaning of the
Hall of Fame and what it represents. I wanted to take a stand so the next guy
coming after me will not have to go through what I and others have gone through.
Whether it’s three years or 45 years, you should get what you rightfully
earned.”The wide receiver who ranked second in NFL history with 15,934 yards
receiving and third with 153 touchdown catches didn’t mention that Hall of
Famers Dan Fouts and James Lofton also are on the selection committee. Owens
later discussed his issue with the current selection process at a news
conference that lasted 26 minutes, saying writers never played the
game
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Rams , with no “blood, sweat and tears” invested.Only one person
makes a speech in Canton to introduce an inductee. By holding his own ceremony,
Owens heard short speeches from five coaches, including three former position
coaches, with James Kirksey and Ray Sherman from the NFL. The university named a
street after the Hall of Fame receiver.A friend of Ray Lewis was at Friday
night’s gold jacket ceremony and brought it to Chattanooga for T.O. The original
plan had been to mail it on Saturday to him.T.O. said he had a Plan B in case it
didn’t arrive in time. He also wore a “C” for Chattanooga pin on each
lapel.Owens thanked everyone from his late grandmother and mother to coaches
from his high school days in Alexander City, Alabama, through his time at
Chattanooga and into the NFL. At times, he was grateful for help received along
the way, cited a Bible verse from Deuteronomy, and even thanked people who
“defamed” him behind his back and teammates who hated him.“This is for
you
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Owens asked anyone who had ever felt isolated, misunderstood or bullied to stand
up. Then Owens encouraged them not to be afraid to be themselves.“We have more
commonalities than differences. This entire speech you thought was about me,
this was for you,” Owens said.None of his former NFL teammates could be seen in
the crowd. Johnny Taylor, the 17th pick overall in the 1997 NBA draft by
Orlando, flew in to see his former teammate inducted into the hall. He
understands that some people were surprised by Owens’ decision.“He’s always
going to do it his way and what’s beneficial to him and his family,” Taylor
said. “Me personally, I’m excited that he is doing it here. It means so much to
the city, it means so much to the university. It speaks volumes to the type of
person that he is
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him.”Fans wore Owens’ No. 81 jersey from his stints in Dallas, San Francisco and
Philadelphia. Renee Davis of Philadelphia canceled tickets she bought to see
Owens inducted in Canton and arrived in Chattanooga on Friday to see the
receiver she called the best ever give his speech. She wore Owens’ No. 80 from
his college days, bought when he was an NFL rookie.Missing the Hall of Fame’s
other seven inductees and all the pageantry of Canton was no loss for
Davis.“Can’t compare to being here with my favorite,” Davis said. “Can’t
compare.” Former Oakland Raiders player Aldon Smith on Tuesday surrendered to
police who said he is a suspect in a domestic violence incident reported three
days earlier.
Smith was booked on four misdemeanor charges of domestic violence and related
counts and released on $30,000 bail from San Francisco County Jail.
San Francisco police had been looking for Smith since he fled a home Saturday
night after someone called 911 to report a domestic violence incident.
Jail records don’t show if he is represented by an attorney.
The Raiders released Smith on Monday.
He had been on the suspended list since late 2015 for violating the NFL’s
policy on substance abuse.
.
