Terrell Owens on being kept out of the Hall of Fame: ‘It’s a travesty’

Once again, Terrell Owens is a finalist for selection into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Once again, his candidacy will be discussed during the Hall’s annual selection committee meeting on Feb. 3 in Minneapolis, the day before Super Bowl LII.

‘When it’s a slam dunk and you’re a for sure shoo-in, that’s where you should be’

The former standout wide receiver doesn’t understand why there still has to be any conversation about his Hall worthiness. As far as Owens is concerned, he should have already been a slam-dunk choice.

“For me, with the Hall of Fame and what it embodies and what it represents, I think it’s doing a disservice, not only to myself but even some (of the other players who should have been slam-dunk selections),” Owens told Bob Papa and Ed McCaffrey on the Opening Drive. “When it’s a slam dunk and you’re a for sure shoo-in, that’s where you should be. It shouldn’t be any other factors outside of what the bylaws say for an athlete or a player to be inducted into the Hall of Fame.”

‘It’s a black eye to the Hall of Fame and the committee’

“I’m very proud of how my grandmother raised me. When you talk about character issues, what I’ve done, in terms of why they haven’t allowed me or inducted me, it’s a travesty. It’s a black eye to the Hall of Fame and the committee.”

How has Owens been handling the disappointment?

‘I’m going to say what I feel’

“People deal with different situations how they feel they need to and with me, everybody knows that I’m very honest, probably to a fault,” he said. “I’m very vocal, I’m very outspoken. And I’m going to say what I feel and regardless of whether people like it or not, I think people that have coached me and my teammates that have been around me, they know that I’m a very transparent and I’m a honest person. You’re not going to catch me in a lie.”