It took three years of eligibility for Owens to finally be chosen for enshrinement. He registered 1,078 career receptions for 15,934 yards with 153 touchdowns. Owens ranks eighth all-time in receptions, is second only to Jerry Rice in all-time receiving yards, ranks third in all-time receiving touchdowns, and fifth among all NFL players in touchdowns.
Owens insists being passed over twice during the selection process never left him feeling disappointed. Instead, he felt disrespected. During the Kicking it with Cam kickball event organized by the Cam Newton Foundation on Friday, the former receiver shared his thoughts on being forced to wait.
"I think with what I had to endure, the challenges that I faced, and knowing that I was always kind of like...I wasn't the greatest receiver," Owens said. "I had to really work to get to where I was. Again, to all the hard work I put in to become the receiver that I did and not really be recognized officially the first go-around, that's where I felt slighted.
"I wasn't disappointed. I never was disappointed. I just felt disrespected. Other than that, I knew how much hard work I put in to become the receiver that I did so if they couldn't recognize that by my body of work, then something was wrong."
The selection committee's decision to exclude Owens from the Pro Football Hall of Fame from his first year of eligibility has been a controversial one. Despite his production in the league, the receiver's antics, locker room presence, and inability to remain with a team for an extended period following his time in San Francisco were widely believed to be reasons for his exclusion. The selection process, however, is only supposed to look at a player's contributions on the field. Owens proved to be among the most dominant players at his position over his career.
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