Why isn’t Terrell Owens in the Hall of Fame yet?
Terrell “T.O.” Owens was a wide receiver in the NFL for 15 years. His career stats are 15,934 career receiving yards (second all time), 153 receiving touchdowns (third all time), and 1,078 receptions (eighth all time). He has also been named to the Pro Bowl six times and to the First Team All Pro five times. The only thing he lacks is a Superbowl ring but that shouldn’t stop him from being in the Hall of Fame, as Dan Marino is in the Hall of Fame. Many say the reason he’s not in yet is because he has caused trouble in every organization he has played for. While this is true, he has more than made up for it with his production. He should’ve been a first ballot Hall of Famer last year.
Maybe the celebrations and the antics are the issue. As former ESPN analyst Skip Bayless said on Undisputed on Fox Sports 1: “I was there covering the team in San Francisco. I was, early on, a proponent, in public, of Terrell Owens. And player after player pulled me aside in the locker room and said ‘you have no idea how he’s tearing apart our football team.’ ” Now while he did have issues wherever he went he did care about his team and certain players. Take Tony Romo for example. Terrell Owens defended Tony after being knocked out of the playoffs by the New York Giants, which he had 4 catches for 49 yards and a touchdown. He defended Tony and said it was a team loss, and that you shouldn’t point any fingers to anyone specifically.
Another thing is his celebrating. For the fans, it’s really entertaining to watch him celebrate. That is what he’s known for. His celebrations are uncanny and really creative. From him signing a football right after the touchdown to him celebrating on the Cowboy’s star to him celebrating with the cheerleaders to him stuffing his face with fan’s popcorn. He is the king of celebrations and everyone will always be under him due to the stricter NFL celebration rules. Maybe his “antics” distract the fans from his greatness as a wide receiver, but that shouldn’t keep him out of the Hall of Fame.
His greatness is as of now unmatched. The only other receiver that is better than him is Jerry Rice (who is undoubtedly the best wide receiver of all time). He is better than the all time greats Randy Moss, Cris Carter, Calvin Johnson, Larry Fitzgerald, Michael Irvin, etc. He easily should’ve been a first ballot Hall of Famer. It’s a disgrace that he wasn’t, and hopefully he will be inducted sooner rather than later.
