Terrell Owens will hold his own Hall of Fame celebration in Chattanooga rather than attend the one in Canton
Terrell Owens is being inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, but the NFL’s No. 2 all-time leader in receiving yards won’t be on hand in Canton, Ohio, for the official ceremony next month.
Instead, Owens announced Tuesday, he will give his Hall of Fame speech nearly 600 miles away at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, where he played college football from 1993 to 1995.
“I have realized just how much I want to celebrate what will inevitably be the best weekend of my life at a place that means so much to me,” Owens said in a statement.
Owens played for five teams during his 15-year NFL career, including the San Francisco 49ers, Philadelphia Eagles and Dallas Cowboys. In addition to racking up 15,934 receiving yards, second only to Jerry Rice’s 22,895, Owens had 153 touchdown catches (third all-time) and 1,078 receptions (eighth all-time).
Owens has heavily criticized the voting process that kept him out of the Hall of Fame for his first two years of eligibility. He was elected as part of the 2018 class in February but publicly declined his invitation to attend the induction ceremony last month.
In a statement at the time, the Hall of Fame called Owens’ decision “unprecedented.”
Other members of this year’s class are Bobby Beathard, Robert Brazile, Jerry Kramer, Ray Lewis, Randy Moss and Brian Urlacher.
Twitter: @chewkiii
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