Good things come to those who wait. In Terrell Owens case he has waited long enough. Years have passed since we have last seen Owens play in the NFL( 2010). When he finally let football go and his comeback attempt failed, his career numbers were just outstanding. He had 1078 receptions, 15,934 receiving yards and 153 touchdowns. Those numbers alone should automatically get you enshrined, but because it's the highly controversial Terrell Owens, he sadly does not have that luxury.
Getting in the Hall of Fame in any sport can be more political than anything. With Owens being snubbed for the Pro Football Hall of Fame for potentially the second time that could definitely be debated.
When you think of the greatest wide receivers in NFL history three names come to mind: Jerry Rice, Randy Moss and Terrell Owens. But when NFL novist bring up Owens it's always about his character and their personal hate towards him, not the fact he is one of the greatest wide receivers to ever live.
Terrell Owens or no athletes at his caliber are perfect. They have their flaws. At times Owens seemed to care only about self-promotion. He seemed to often butt heads with coaches and his quarterbacks, especially Jeff Garcia when he had his stint with the San Francisco 49ers. Sports personalities like Skip Bayless and others often said T.O stands for " team obliterator" because of his selfish tendencies.
But we all have a habit of judging a book by its cover. Even though Owens had his issues and he always gave it 110 percent on the football field. That's what the hall of fame should stand for; production, not personal opinions. Owens never cheated the game of football. He loved the game. He played with competitive fervor and had tremendous passion for the game. Sometimes he did go overboard with his celebrations and his legendary post game press conferences after a win or lost. Nevertheless, Owens was truly one of a kind.
If there was a Fantasy Hall of Fame, Owens would be already in it. But I believe the Pro Football Hall of Fame should share the same criteria. The committee should choose their nominees on their stats and impact on the field only. I just watched Allen Iverson get enshrined to the Basketball Hall of Fame, and he was far from perfect. But his issues and other people's opinion of him did not matter. On the court, Iverson was one of the greatest. Same could be said for Owens.
I really hope Owens gets into the Hall of Fame this year or sometime in the near future. It's time to honestly put some "respeck" on his name. He deserves it. He was must see TV, he made me actually like the Dallas Cowboys for a change. Owens was a very polarizing athlete but he knew all eyes were on him and he did not disappoint. For a guy that's third all time in touchdowns, six all time in receptions and only second to Jerry Rice in receiving yards, that's Hall of Fame worthy. You have athletes who are in enshrined that have DUI's, law enforcement and domestic violence issues. Owens has a clean track record. But because the media, team owners and some players have strong opinions on his character he is being neglected.
Hopefully next summer I will getting my popcorn ready to see a guy many people called a distraction, sell out and selfish be called a " Hall of Famer". His numbers and his 15 year career should speak for itself. T.O. remains one of the NFL's unforgettable characters, and you can't write the game's history without him.
