Sports' most exclusive fraternity will grow by eight on Saturday. Former NFL wide receiver Terrell Owens will be among those inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame's Class of 2018. The only problem is that Owens, the Hall's 317th inductee, will not be in Canton, Ohio for the enshrinement ceremony or the festivities that surround the event.
Owens decided to celebrate his induction elsewhere. It was a decision that Hall of Fame President and CEO David Baker called "unprecedented." So you won't hear Owens' name much in Canton on Saturday, and you won't hear it at the Gold Jacket Ceremony on Friday.
"The focus is on the guys who are here," Hall of Fame executive director Joe Horrigan recently told Clark Judge of the Talk of Fame Network.
Owens will celebrate one of sports' greatest honors over 500 miles away at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, where he will independently give his induction speech from the school's McKenzie Arena.
"While I am incredibly appreciative of this opportunity, I have made the decision to publicly decline my invitation to attend the induction ceremony in Canton," Owens said via a statement on June 7.
Several former stars of the game have already expressed their disappointment in Owens' decision, including Hall of Fame quarterback and former teammate Steve Young.
Former 49ers front office executive Carmen Policy was on 95.7 The Game Monday morning, where he shared his thoughts on Owens' stance.
"I thought how sad," Policy said on the Joe, Lo and Dibs show. "How very, very sad. And I felt very bad for Terrell. I talked to him after he was notified that he was going to be inducted, and the player I talked to was humble, and he was just upbeat about the honor and talked about the early days of the 49ers. He had talked to Eddie DeBartolo and said, 'I miss you guys,' and this, that, and so forth.
"We tried to giving him some advice to just get some advice on how to handle this honor. Take it easy, don't make quick decisions, and moderate your comments. Again, we were rooting for him.
"The problem is, with all the talent, with all the ability, with the drive that he had, and the fight that he had, he never understood how to develop and maintain relationships. Every time a bridge was built, he burned it. Every time there was some connection, it was as though some huge clippers were used to cut it off.
"He finds himself on this small island with no access to it and no means to leave it and nothing connected to it. It's terribly sad. I just wish his life were different.
Policy went on to say that some effort was made to bring together a coalition from the teams that Owens played for, but the former receiver was uncooperative.
"The teams weren't really sympathetic to the idea because of the nastiness that had existed in terms of comments and the separations. And there he is out there alone.
"Eddie (DeBartolo Jr.) even talked about, 'Maybe I should just pick the guy up, bring him there, it doesn't have to be a lot of fanfare, take care of him while he's there, but I'm not connected to a team anymore. It's almost as though I'm overstepping. If I were connected to a team, obviously he'd be front and center no matter what.'
"It's horribly sad and I think he's just so alone out there."
Click here to listen to the entire interview with Policy.
