ATLANTA, GA - JANUARY 08: Former NFL player Terrell Owens looks on during the first half of the game between the Georgia Bulldogs and the Alabama Crimson Tide in the CFP National Championship presented by AT&T at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on January 8, 2018 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)
He’s not Nelson Mandela. He didn’t spend 27 years in a South African prison. Michael Irvin is another Cowboys receiver who didn’t make the hall until the third time he was up for a vote.
That’s how ardent supporters will paint the fact Terrell Owens has made the Hall of Fame. Count the number of times the word finally appears in tweets, blogs, newspaper articles and TV reports.
He’s not Nelson Mandela, either. Irvin will tell you that.
This slight delay isn’t an injustice. It’s not an insult to Owens, a rebuke of the voting process or an indictment of the people in that room.
It was a legitimate conversation that took into account how his performance and behavior impacted the five teams he played for during his 15-year career.
It’s amusing to hear the argument that statistics are the only thing that matter. How can anyone limit a great athlete’s impact to what he or she does on the field? When Irvin had to wait, the argument was voters didn’t give enough credit to the leadership and inspirational edge he brought to those Cowboys teams.
Were Emmitt Smith, Troy Aikman and Roger Staubach only about their statistics? Is that all they were as players?
Individual ability and accomplishments are only part of the equation. Super Bowl titles should be taken into account along with the impact those players had in the lockerroom.
We’re not talking about likability here. We’re talking about a player making a positive impact in all aspects of the team.
Can anyone who maintains T.O. has been treated unfairly say he did that in his five stops? Can anyone ignore the evidence he was often divisive? The Hall of Fame voters -- I’m not among them -- spent more than 45 minutes sorting through these questions Saturday. That’s more conversation than was spent on any other player.
Two years ago, in his first year of eligibility, former Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo had this to say about Owens: “I think, just statistically speaking, it’s kind of a no-brainer.’’
He’s right statistically. But there’s more to it.
Terrell Owens is part of the Hall of Fame class 2018. A lot of other quality finalists aren’t.
How is that a slight?
Catch David Moore and co-host Robert Wilonsky on The Ticket (KTCK-AM 1310 and 96.7 FM) on Intentional Grounding at 7 p.m. on Wednesday.
Elsa/Getty Images
Longtime NFL wide receiver Terrell Owens announced Saturday he's been elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame as part of its 2018 class.
Owens confirmed his selection with an Instagram post:
The official announcement will come during Saturday night's NFL Honors broadcast on NBC.
Owens rose to stardom during an eight-year run with the San Francisco 49ers, who selected him in the third round of the 1996 draft out of Tennessee-Chattanooga.
The 44-year-old Alabama native, who became known for his outspoken approach, also made stops with the Philadelphia Eagles, Dallas Cowboys, Buffalo Bills and Cincinnati Bengals during a 15-year NFL career.
His antics more so than his numbers were probably why Hall of Fame voters passed him over twice before voting him in Saturday. Owens told Pete Prisco of CBS Sports earlier in the week he passed the statistical thresholds "with flying colors," making it clear something else was being considered.
"But obviously when it comes to me—when it comes to T.O.—there's all the hurdles that have to be hurdled ... in order to get in," Owens said. "So, whatever they are, I don't know what it is, but I think everybody has mentioned it enough to the point that something needs to be changed. What that is I have no idea..."
In all, Owens made 1,078 catches for 15,934 yards and 153 touchdowns in 219 career games.
His resume also includes six Pro Bowl selections and five First Team All-Pro nods.
Terrell Owens finally made it into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in his third year of eligibility.
Year after year he and others have been angry about his snubs. No one needs to fight for a spot for T.O. anymore — he’s in now. The former receiver immediately shared an Instagram that said, “CONGRATS to the HOF CLASS OF 2018.
We’re GOLDEN!”
Then, Owens got many congrats from the NFL world, including players and media. One of the messages he got on Twitter was from Fox Sports 1‘s Jason Whitlock.
Whitlock, who often makes questionable statements, has said that Owens has disrespected the Hall of Fame and that he would have no problem with Owens being snubbed again. But, after this year’s class was announced, Whitlock congratulated Owens on Twitter, even though he “wasn’t a supporter.”
Owens was not having any of it. He told Whitlock to “kick rocks.”
Kick Rocks. — Terrell Owens (@terrellowens) February 3, 2018
I guess Owens heard everything else Whitlock said about him and the Hall of Fame.
Here are other congrats the receiver got on Twitter:
@terrellowens Yeah buddy. Congratulations my dude, let’s celebrate at McDonald’s — Chad Johnson (@ochocinco) February 3, 2018
I’m happy for @terrellowens!! Better late than never. Congrats on finally getting your HOF nod — Lance Moore (@LanceMoore16) February 3, 2018
Read more about the 2018 Pro Football Hall of Fame class at USA TODAY Sports.
CLOSE Terrell Owens, 2018 Hall of Famer, referred to it as the 'Hall of Shame' earlier this week in an interview with USA TODAY Sports on Radio Row. USA TODAY Sports
Terrell Owens celebrates on the sidelines during the fourth quarter as the Eagles were clinching a playoff spot in the their win over the Giants. (Photo: Robert Deutsch, USA TODAY Sports)
MINNEAPOLIS – Terrell Owens’ Hall of Fame wait is finally over.
The former 49ers, Eagles, Cowboys, Bengals and Bills receiver was elected to the 2018 Pro Football Hall of Fame Saturday after being snubbed the past two years.
Owens’ on-field credentials made him appear like a lock for Canton, with 1,078 career receptions, 15,934 yards and 156 touchdowns in his 16-year career. But Owens’ case was complicated, given his contentious relationships both in the locker rooms where he played and with the media that covered him.
“He should be in. Period,” Eagles running backs coach Duce Staley told USA TODAY Sports this week about his former teammate.
After being shut out the past two years, Owens appeared to be preparing himself this week for another disappointing phone call. Earlier this week, while appearing in a video with USA TODAY Sports on radio row at the Mall of America Bloomington, Minn., Owens jokingly referred to the Hall as the “Hall of Shame.”
"I'm still smiling, aren't I?" Owens said when asked about not making the cut on his first two years as a finalist.
The wide receiver also irked some when he said he wouldn't want to be affiliated with the 49ers when going into the Hall of Fame, even though players don't have to choose such a designation.
"I have my reasoning behind that," Owens said this week. "There are certain situations that the fans aren't privy to. If I'm upset for a certain reason, let me be upset."
Follow Lindsay H. Jones on Twitter @bylindsayhjones.
PHOTOS: Pro Football Hall of Fame class of 2018
