German_Force » Terrell Owens always likes being the center

of attention. His decision to skip the induction ceremony for the Pro Football Hall of Fame in August will keep him far from the spotlight.Owens was voted into the hall in February after being denied in his first two years of eligibility. His announcement Thursday is unprecedented by an enshrinee.”Hopefully Joejuan Williams NFL Jersey , the story this summer will remain about those that will be there instead of the one that will not,” said Howard Balzer of SiriusXM Radio, a 15-year voter for the Hall of Fame.In a statement released Thursday by his publicist, Owens said: ”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.”After visiting Canton earlier this year, I came to the realization that I wish to celebrate what will be one of the most memorable days of my life, elsewhere,” Owens added. ”At a later date, I will announce where and when I will celebrate my induction.”The hall confirmed that the former All-Pro receiver informed them he would not be on hand Aug. 4 for the enshrinements.”We are disappointed but will respect Terrell’s decision not to participate in the enshrinement,” Hall of Fame President & CEO David Baker said.”While unprecedented, the Pro Football Hall of Fame, the nearly 5,000 volunteers and the entire community are committed to celebrating the excellence of the Class of 2018 that will kick off the NFL’s 99th season.”As we do not want to detract from this great honor being enjoyed by the seven other members of the class of 2018 – Bobby Beathard, Robert Brazile, Brian Dawkins, Jerry Kramer, Ray Lewis, Randy Moss and Brian Urlacher – their family, friends, and fans, the Pro Football Hall of Fame will have no further comment on the decision made by Terrell Owens.”Owens entered the league as a third-round pick by San Francisco in 1996 and developed into a star known for some memorable playoff appearances, including his winning 25-yard TD catch to beat Green Bay in 1999; his 177 yards in a comeback win against the Giants in 2003; and his nine catches for 122 yards in the 2004 Super Bowl against New England just seven weeks after breaking his leg.He ranks second to Jerry Rice with 15,934 yards receiving and is third on the all-time touchdowns receiving list with 153.Owens heavily criticized the voting process when he failed to be elected in 2016 and 2017. Among the reasons he fell short were his being considered a divisive teammate and negative presence in the locker room.Still Joejuan Williams NFL Draft , he received strong consideration for the hall before getting in last February, along with Moss, another standout receiver.”I think T.O. actually was disappointed when he got in this year,” said Paul Domowitch of the Philadelphia Daily News, who presented Owens’ case for induction and has been on the selection committee for 16 years. ”I think he was happier when he got snubbed and could play the part of the persecuted victim and moan on every radio talk show that was willing to bring him on about the unfairness of the process.”Maybe he was worried that he would become forgotten after the induction ceremony. This way, he gets his gold jacket, but still will be remembered as the guy who told the hall to go stuff it.”Another Owens supporter in the hall voting, Jarrett Bell of USA Today, has been on the selection committee for 21 years and was ”at a loss to understand” why Owens would decline to attend the inductions.But Bell, like Baker, stressed Owens’ absence would not affect the ceremony much.”Think of the other members of the class of 2018,” Bell said. ”They deserve their upcoming honor and the celebration. There’s no stain on them because someone doesn’t want to show up.”Think of the players who gave their all to the sport, including many worthy of Hall of Fame consideration, who will never be enshrined. Think of the family members of former players, coaches and officials – many of whom have passed away – pushing for their loved ones to receive special recognition for career accomplishments. Then think of Terrell Owens. In that order.”As perhaps an indicator he might skip the August ceremony, Owens didn’t attend the announcement that he’d been selected to the hall.”All these years Owens wanted to go to the hall and was quite vocal about it,” said Rick Gosselin, a hall voter for 23 years. ”Now he doesn’t want to go to the hall? It’s kind of puzzling. … I wonder what all of his new teammates wearing those gold jackets think.”Owens did thank the 49ers, Eagles, Cowboys, Bills and Bengals in his statement and called becoming a Hall of Famer ”an honor to be part of such elite company. This honor is something that I will cherish forever.”He just won’t be on hand to see his bust unveiled in August.”But don’t think of even considering it a sad day for the Hall of Fame,” Bell said. ”The hall will always be bigger than one person.”— Find out what New England’s fans think about the team’s draft."The 2019 NFL draft came and went, and the New England Patriots added ten players to their team along the way. Selecting a blend of potential day-one contributors and developmental options Joejuan Williams Buffalo Bills Jersey , addressing short and intermediate needs, New England’s haul is seen as a solid one for the team — and Patriots fans mostly seem to agree, even though there are mixed feelings about some of the ten men drafted by the club.While all ten of the acquisitions were seen as positive in our fan polls attached to the initial article about each signing, some graded out better than others. Let’s quickly run through them, starting with first-round pick N’Keal Harris.1-32 WR N’Keal HarrisTo close out the first round of the draft, the world champions opted to add talent to their receiving corps in the form of N’Keal Harry. The selection addressed New England’s biggest need and unsurprisingly earned high praise from fans: when putting numerical values to the grades (A=1, B=2, C=3, D=4, F=5), we can see that the 21-year-old earns an average of 1.57 points. Likely the player with the highest potential for a day-one impact brought in through the draft, Harry enters the world champions’ roster with plenty of expectations.2-45 CB Joejuan WilliamsDespite New England having one of the best cornerback groups in the NFL, the team decided to add even more talent and upside in the form of Vanderbilt’s Joejuan Williams. A tall and physical perimeter cornerback, Williams could be used against tight ends and taller wideouts — and his potential did not go unnoticed by fans, who graded him with an average of 1.97 points or in the solid B range.3-77 DE Chase WinovichAs popular a draft pick as N’Keal Harry is among Patriots fans, no selection received more universal approval as Chase Winovich’s in the third round: all in all, fans graded the Michigan product with 1.49 points, equivalent of a straight A. Winovich, a versatile, high-motor player, will enter New England’s defensive edge rotation and help replace offseason departures Trey Flowers and Adrian Clayborn. The expectations are high for him, but so is his upside in the Patriots’ multi-front defense.3-87 RB Damien HarrisOne of the more polarizing selections made by the Patriots this weekend was that of Alabama running back Damien Harris in round three — not because of his talents as a runner, pass catcher and blocker Color Rush Joejuan Williams Jersey , but because of New England’s roster: running back is one of the deepest position on the squad. Harris was graded with an average of 2.24 points, but will get plenty of chances to prove his doubters wrong: he will likely see considerable snaps as a rotational option alongside Sony Michel from day one on.3-101 OT Yodny CajusteFollowing the free agency departures of Trent Brown and LaAdrian Waddle, New England needed to add more depth at offensive tackle — and Yodny Cajuste is just that. The West Virginia product is expected to as a backup swing tackle with the upside to potentially earn a starting role further down the line. Patriots fans are apparently optimistic about his outlook, and gave him a solid B grade.4-118 OG Hjalte FroholdtThe third most popular pick among Patriots fans is that of offensive lineman Hjalte Froholdt: New England’s first pick on day three earned a 1.60-point average in our poll. One of the best pass protectors among this year’s interior linemen, Froholdt is expected to start his career as a backup that could potentially take over a starting role in case left guard Joe Thuney leaves town via free agency next year.4-133 QB Jarrett StidhamWith their seventh pick, the Patriots decided to add to their quarterback depth chart. Auburn’s Jarrett Stidham is a developmental prospect that has obvious upside but needs to get more consistent. New England’s followers seem to like the selection and graded it with 1.94 points — which shows that there is cautious optimism about Stidham’s outlook in the Patriots’ system, and his long-term potential as at least the team’s top backup passer behind Tom Brady.5-159 DE Byron CowartNew England traded up twice in the fifth round, with the first such move coming to grab defensive edge Byron Cowart. The former five-star recruit failed to live up to expectations in college but is an intriguing prospect that could develop into a solid NFL commodity if given time and the right coaching. Patriots fans are apparently not fully convinced and rated the selection of Cowart with 2.37 points, translating into a B-/C+ grade.5-163 P Jake BaileyWhen judged by the numbers, the Patriots’ decision to trade up in round five and pick punter Jake Bailey was the most controversial decision of the weekend: the most even of the polls, picking Bailey to compete against incumbent Ryan Allen earned an average of 2.73 points — essentially a C grade. The Stanford product could become a favorite among New England fans, however, given his strong leg and versatility to possible also handle kickoffs.7-252 CB Ken WebsterThe Patriots invested in another cornerback with their final selection: the 252nd overall pick was used to bring Ole Miss cornerback Ken Webster on board, a highly-athletic defender that could give 2018 seventh-round selection Keion Crossen a run for his money. New England’s followers are not quite sure about that, however, and graded the pick with 2.37 points — tied for the second-worst of the weekend behind only Bailey.All in all, however, Patriots fans seem to like the individual decisions made by the club over the course of the draft’s seven rounds. Whether or not the players will live up to their expectations or prove that they have been graded too low remains to be seen, but it would not be surprising if some of the grades looked quite different one year from now.