The Loop

Terrell Owens turns down Hall of Fame invitation, which is equal parts brilliant, egotistical, miscalculation and troll

June 07, 2018
Dallas Cowboys v Philadelphia Eagles

Drew Hallowell

Terrell Owens is one of the best receivers in NFL history. This is fact. He is also, even by athlete standards, a self-absorbed diva and general ass. These incontrovertible truths often clashed throughout his career, as teams were forced to weigh his gridiron performance with his off-the-field headaches.

That battle has continued despite Owens' retirement, best evidenced in his Hall of Fame enshrinement. Although he finished second in all-time receiving yards, it took three elections for TO to get the call from Canton, a wait based solely on...well, on Owens being a Grade-A butthead. It was a process Owens railed against, and with reason: if the NFL Hall of Fame is going to cite a character clause, more than half of its inductees would lose their bronze busts. That didn't stop Owens from campaigning, telling anyone who would listen he was contrite for his past actions and that his numbers should speak for themselves.

Due to shame, or perhaps believing the wait was long enough, the electorate voted in Owens this year. And it appears the mercurial receiver is celebrating that honor by telling the Hall of Fame to shove it:

In one sense, good for TO. He got burned by the Hall of Fame for two years, and decided to fire a gigantic middle-finger back. In this era of trolling, it's a solid response.

In that same breath, he just proved all those that derided him right. All he had to do was put aside his ego for one day....for a ceremony that would have honored him. And if he really wanted to troll, he had the chance to take the mic in Canton, in front of a national audience, Roger Goodell, every relevant entity in the game...and burn it all to the ground. Instead he took the easy Twitter win in June. A miscalculation of the highest degree, which, come to think of it, encapsulates the Terrell Owens Experience.