The Pro Football Hall of Fame will not acknowledge Terrell Owens individually during enshrinement weekend in Canton, Ohio, next month, the Hall’s executive director says.
“The focus is on the guys who are here,” Hall of Fame executive director Joe Horrigan told the Talk of Fame Sports Network on Thursday. “There’s no reason to bring him up as an individual. He’s not here.”
Owens announced last month that he would not attend the ceremonies, scheduled for Aug. 3-4, and would instead give a speech at his alma mater, the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. Owens will deliver his acceptance speech on campus Aug. 4.
Owens’ name will be included when the whole class is announced, Horrigan said, and his photograph will appear in materials about the Hall of Fame weekend.
Owens’ gold jacket, traditionally presented in an elaborate ceremony on Friday night, will be mailed to him first thing Saturday morning, Horrigan said.
A finalist for the past three years, Owens had been critical of the board of selectors after he was not chosen in 2016 or 2017, his first two years of eligibility.
He was voted into the Hall in February, along with Bobby Beathard, Robert Brazile, Brian Dawkins, Jerry Kramer, Ray Lewis, Randy Moss and Brian Urlacher.