Owens declines HoF Ceremony Invitation

[Ragnarok]

Just now, PapaShogun said:

I don't think it's the same at all though. They knew they were going to get drafted. They didn't campaign to be accepted. Owens getting in Canton could have been delayed for who knows how long. And Owens really did want to be enshrined in the HOF. 

I guess they're just going to mail his gold jacket to him now? Honestly wondering how that will work. 

He knew he was going in the HOF.  Like draft picks don't know exactly when they get drafted, he didn't know exactly what year he would get enshrined.  I view Owens behavior waiting for a few years like a draft pick waiting in the green room for a while.  

I just don't think its a big deal.

[JAF-N72EX]

7 minutes ago, PapaShogun said:

You're not meeting your new teammates or sharing a common bond with them that you never had before. You're closing doors to potential new relationships. 

I don't think what Adam Schefter said was an overstatement. It's just the plain truth. 

Again, though. How do we know any of this, as of right now, until TO himself decides to discuss it publicly? 

For all we know, he could be making plans right now to invite all of them to a private ceremony - which is not out of the realm of possibility by any means. 

In short. All I'm saying is that people should wait until we hear from TO himself before making any assumptions.

[sp6488]

9 minutes ago, FourThreeMafia said:

Keep telling yourself that, Mr "Expert".     There are alot of facts that you conveniently ignore....but you do you.

And I never claimed Harrison was some kind of saint...but he never destroyed a locker room like TO did....regardless of how much you try to ignore reality.   Acting like it was just media created nonsense shows how clueless you really are Mr "Expert". 

It's crazy to see people claiming that his negative impact is some fabrication.

[TecmoSuperJoe]

Just now, Ragnarok said:

He knew he was going in the HOF.  Like draft picks don't know exactly when they get drafted, he didn't know exactly what year he would get enshrined.  I view Owens behavior waiting for a few years like a draft pick waiting in the green room for a while.  

I just don't think its a big deal.

No he didn't. How could he know? Various players have been held out for years to the point where they died before they got to see themselves inducted. Especially with his past drama, I don't see how it was guaranteed. The voters could have easily stuck to their guns, and passed him over year after year. If Owens knew he was going to get in, I don't see why he'd be hollering to the rooftops about it. 

The two players you mentioned knew they were going to get drafted in the top ten. It's not the same as sportswriters deciding on whether your career is worth being remembered to a certain standard. 

[lancerman]

1 minute ago, sp6488 said:

It's crazy to see people claiming that his negative impact is some fabrication.

Yeah like these people weren't around the locker room and interviewing his teammates at the time. Not that it matters because people conveniently ignore how stupidly difficult it has been historically to get in at the WR position for decades.. 

[JAF-N72EX]

2 minutes ago, PapaShogun said:

No he didn't. How could he know? Various players have been held out for years to the point where they died before they got to see themselves inducted.

Those players didn't have the same impact on the game as he did either. Ofcouse he knew was going into the HoF -- EVERYONE knew. It was only a matter of time.

[lancerman]

Just now, PapaShogun said:

No he didn't. How could he know? Various players have been held out for years to the point where they died before they got to see themselves inducted. Especially with his past drama, I don't see how it was guaranteed. The voters could have easily stuck to their guns, and passed him over year after year. If Owens knew he was going to get in, I don't see why he'd be hollering to the rooftops about it. 

The two players you mentioned knew they were going to get drafted in the top ten. It's not the same as sportswriters deciding on whether your career is worth being remembered to a certain standard. 

No. Everyone knew he was getting in. We all knew he was waiting awhile because the voters didn't feel like he deserved to be honored right away because 

1. He had off the field issues. 

2. Historically going in 1st ballot as a WR has been reserved for only super elite guys who were Jerry Rice level in their era.

The only way TO would have died before he got in was if he did something stupid that got himself killed. He was a finalist multiple times. 

[NFLExpert49]

6 minutes ago, sp6488 said:

It's crazy to see people claiming that his negative impact is some fabrication.

Oh yeah, because you know better than Owens's actual former teammates what kind of teammate he was. 

[sp6488]

2 minutes ago, lancerman said:

Yeah like these people weren't around the locker room and interviewing his teammates at the time. Not that it matters because people conveniently ignore how stupidly difficult it has been historically to get in at the WR position for decades.. 

You don't even need to have been in the locker room or interview his teammates.

His "if it looks like a rat and smells like a rat" comments about Jeff Garcia were entirely public.

His torching the relationship with McNabb and the Philly coaching staff/FO was not a secret in any way.

That's just two major ones.  The idea that this was all just made up is crazy to me as someone who watched it all unfold.

[TecmoSuperJoe]

3 minutes ago, JustAnotherFan said:

Again, though. How do we know any of this, as of right now, until TO himself decides to discuss it publicly? 

For all we know, he could be making plans right now to invite all of them to a private ceremony - which is not out of the realm of possibility by any means. 

In short. All I'm saying is that people should wait until we hear from TO himself before making any assumptions.

How do you mean? How do we know that he's closing potential relationships? We know because he said he's not attending the event to celebrate on his own way. I don't see what he could say in public that could fix opportunity to bond he's missing out on. 

Why would all of the previous inductees go to a private event outside the HOF just to celebrate Owens himself. I get the feeling everyone would scoff at that. Could easily come off as Owens seeing himself as bigger than the HOF as a whole. 

In this case I think Owens' actions speak louder than any statement he could make. 

[NFLExpert49]

5 minutes ago, lancerman said:

Yeah like these people weren't around the locker room and interviewing his teammates at the time. Not that it matters because people conveniently ignore how stupidly difficult it has been historically to get in at the WR position for decades.. 

Uh, the 49ers writer who presented him interviewed his former teammates and that was what swayed the whole room this year. 

https://www.nbcsports.com/bayarea/49ers/owens-unlikely-hall-fame-supporter-steps

[TecmoSuperJoe]

3 minutes ago, JustAnotherFan said:

Those players didn't have the same impact on the game as he did either. Ofcouse he knew was going into the HoF -- EVERYONE knew. It was only a matter of time.

A lot of those players also didn't have as polarizing a personality as Owens did. 

Not saying that Owens wouldn't have made it definitively, but it's impossible to know how many years it would have taken. 

[Ragnarok]

6 minutes ago, PapaShogun said:

No he didn't. How could he know? Various players have been held out for years to the point where they died before they got to see themselves inducted. Especially with his past drama, I don't see how it was guaranteed. The voters could have easily stuck to their guns, and passed him over year after year. If Owens knew he was going to get in, I don't see why he'd be hollering to the rooftops about it. 

The two players you mentioned knew they were going to get drafted in the top ten. It's not the same as sportswriters deciding on whether your career is worth being remembered to a certain standard. 

 

4 minutes ago, JustAnotherFan said:

Those players didn't have the same impact on the game as he did either. Ofcouse he knew was going into the HoF -- EVERYONE knew. It was only a matter of time.

 

3 minutes ago, lancerman said:

No. Everyone knew he was getting in. We all knew he was waiting awhile because the voters didn't feel like he deserved to be honored right away because 

1. He had off the field issues. 

2. Historically going in 1st ballot as a WR has been reserved for only super elite guys who were Jerry Rice level in their era.

The only way TO would have died before he got in was if he did something stupid that got himself killed. He was a finalist multiple times. 

I echo these two.  Some guys have had to wait far too long to get in, that wasn't going to happen here.  It wasn't an if, it was a when.  Same as when Rodgers would go in the first.

[JAF-N72EX]

Just now, NFLExpert49 said:

Oh yeah, because you know better than Owens's actual former teammates what kind of teammate he was. 

Just stop. Even in the midst of defending TO, I can't ignore his propensity to divide locker rooms. Nor do I condone or support it. 

Any fan that has watched football over the last 20 years cannot deny this.  

[NFLExpert49]

2 minutes ago, sp6488 said:

You don't even need to have been in the locker room or interview his teammates.

His "if it looks like a rat and smells like a rat" comments about Jeff Garcia were entirely public.

His torching the relationship with McNabb and the Philly coaching staff/FO was not a secret in any way.

That's just two major ones.  The idea that this was all just made up is crazy to me as someone who watched it all unfold.

1. Jeff Garcia was no longer his teammate at the time. 

2. He did nothing to McNabb. The media single-handedly created that. He wasn't the one who accused him of throwing up in the Super Bowl. That was Hank Fraley, Freddie Mitchell, and Jon Runyan. He never said the Eagles would be better off with Brett Favre at QB; he answered a follow up question after saying that if McNabb were healthy, their record would be better, by acknowledging that Irvin's comments that the Eagles' record would also be better with Favre at QB was "a good assessment." 

You have no idea what actually unfolded because you've been sold a bunch of lies by people with every incentive to lie to you to make money off said lies.