Terrell Owens announces unique plans for his Hall of Fame induction

Senior writer

Tue, Jul 3, 2018, 5:52 PM·2 min read

Terrell Owens is going to do his Pro Football Hall of Fame induction his way.

Owens announced Tuesday what his plans were for induction weekend. We already knew Owens was not attending the ceremony in Canton, which the Hall of Fame said was unprecedented. It also upset a lot of people associated with the Hall of Fame.

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Instead, Owens will have his own ceremony at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, where he played in college.

Where and when will Owens be giving his speech?

Owens announced his intention to give a speech in Chattanooga on Aug. 4, the same day as the ceremony in Canton. It will start at 3:17 p.m. ET., a few hours before the start of the Hall of Fame ceremony in Canton.

Owens’ ceremony is free to the public and will be at the university’s McKenzie Arena. Given Owens’ stature at the school and the fact this is the first event of its kind, it seems like it should be very well attended.

‘The best weekend of my life’

With all the focus on Owens skipping the ceremony, how he actually felt about finally making it in the Hall of Fame has been overshadowed.

Owens, unfairly, was snubbed twice as a finalist, though it was obvious his resume deserved inclusion on the first ballot. And it seems just as clear that Owens’ personality was a reason voters made him wait. When Owens said he would skip the ceremony, that gave the voters more reason to criticize him.

But Owens expressed how much the honor itself meant.

“After giving it much thought, 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 as he announced his induction plans.

What will be the reaction to Owens’ speech?

Because Owens is planning something that hasn’t been done before, it’s uncertain how it will be received.

Given that Owens and Randy Moss are the two headliners of this year’s class, Owens’ speech won’t be ignored no matter how much the Hall of Fame and its members don’t like that he’s skipping the ceremony. Assuming it will be televised, it’s possible Owens’ ceremony does better ratings than the ceremony in Canton.

That might be the ultimate way for Owens to stick it to the Hall for making him wait.