Hall of Fame wide receiver Terrell Owens led a group of protesters against systemic discrimination on Thursday in Inglewood, California. He also demanded that the NFL publicly apologize to former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick, who has not played in the league since the 2016 season when he led a movement to bring awareness to social injustice by peacefully protesting during the pre-game national anthem.
NFL Hall of Fame WR Terrell Owens is leading a protest around SoFi Stadium in honor of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, and is also calling for Roger Goddell to personally apologize to Colin Kaepernick and get him back in the league. pic.twitter.com/Uw3PCVA327
— Emmanuel Morgan (@_EmmanuelMorgan) June 11, 2020
Owens, a former Niner himself, has had a rocky relationship with the team since his trade in 2004. The receiver said this week that he feels he suffered "systemic racism" during his time with the Bay Area squad, and places a lot of the blame on his former head coach, Steve Mariucci.
"I felt like I got blackballed by the league," Owens told TMZ. "I could've still continued to play, but because I was outspoken, because of who I was, I wasn't allowed the opportunity. ... Because I was outspoken, because of who I was, and because of some of the coaches that said things behind closed doors and got in the ears of these owners, that's why I wasn't able to really continue on with my career.
"To me, that was systemic racism. I experienced it when I was in San Francisco under coach Mariucci. I experienced it. Trust me, I experienced it."
Owens and the 49ers have mended their relationship since his departure. The team, this past season, inducted the former receiver into the Edward J. DeBartolo Sr. San Francisco 49ers Hall of Fame, and he was honored during the home opener against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Owens was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame as part of the Class of 2018 and received his Hall of Fame ring during a November 1, 2018, game at Levi's Stadium.
"Nobody knew my character," Owens continued. "There's a lot of media that portray me a certain way to where now even people think I'm this bad person. That I'm a character, I'm selfish, all these things. But, at the end of the day, I knew who I was, and I just kept moving forward."
San Francisco drafted Owens in the third round of the 1996 NFL Draft. He was with the 49ers from 1996 until 2003 and spent time with the Philadelphia Eagles, Dallas Cowboys, Buffalo Bills, and Cincinnati Bengals after that.
The six-time Pro Bowler and five-time first-team All-Pro had 1,078 career receptions for 15,934 yards and 153 touchdowns.
Owens' disdain for his former 49ers coach continues to this day. He was asked last year if his relationship with Mariucci could ever be mended.
"I'm not really open to [burying the hatchet] because that's a guy I think from where I sit, and I think people that witnessed some of the things that transpired in that locker room," Owens responded, "people want to say that I was a selfish person, this, that, and the other, and I created a lot of division and headache in the locker room. But there are a lot of players that you've never heard that from. Some of the things that have been said about me, I'm pretty sure a lot of it probably came from him."