Leave it to Terrell Owens to choose to become the first person to celebrate being inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame somewhere other than at the
Canton
New York Jets Jerseys Womens , Ohio shrine.The receiver who provided so many exhilarating and exasperating moments during one of the NFL’s most prolific careers is about 600 miles away from
Canton this weekend. Hours before the other inductees are honored, Owens will
give his own acceptance speech at Chattanooga , where he played college football
and basketball and ran track.Owens announced on Twitter in June that, while ”incredibly appreciative,” he wouldn’t attend the induction ceremony. Owens never shared his reasons for
staying away. Less than a month later, Owens again used social media to say he’d
hold his own induction ceremony in Chattanooga.”Getcha popcorn ready!” wrote the man who once celebrated a touchdown with popcorn.Owens said Friday in Chattanooga there’s a ”flaw in that system” about how Hall of Famers are selected and he wanted to ”make a stand” for future
candidates. Owens, who wasn’t selected to the Hall of Fame until his third year
of eligibility, noted how grateful he was to accept this honor ”right here where
it all began.”He’s been quite chatty on social media in the weeks leading up to his induction. Owens tweeted that he ”wouldn’t have a PRO career if it wasn’t for
Chattanooga (hash)THISISFORYOU.” When asked why he’s bypassing the Canton
ceremony, Owens tweeted that ”I don’t need to be on their stage to do it. I’ll
be fine & im sure they will be too.”Chattanooga remains a place where Owens is loved for what he accomplished well before becoming an NFL star. Owens had 2
http://www.jaguarsauthorizedshops.com/authentic-tanner-lee-jersey ,320 career yards receiving in college and also played basketball on two NCAA
Tournament teams before the San Francisco 49ers selected him in the third round
of the 1996 draft.In the NFL, Owens strung together numerous antics – posing on the Dallas Cowboys‘ star logo at midfield, engaging in sideline tirades – with five teams
over 15 seasons. But his college coaches marveled at his work ethic and
considered him fun to coach.”First guy (on the field), last guy off,” former Chattanooga football coach Buddy Green said. ”He worked hard, man. He tried to get better every practice.
You’d put him on a special team, and he was the first guy down the field. He
just loved to play the game. He was great to coach. He worked as hard as anybody
on the field, even harder probably.”Mack McCarthy coached Chattanooga basketball during Owens’ years on campus and remembers a guy who could come off the bench and defend at any position.”He could not have been a better teammate,” McCarthy said. ”He couldn’t have been better to coach.”Owens has a busy weekend planned for his return to campus.He spoke to Chattanooga’s current student-athletes Friday morning and also took 35 area youths on a shopping spree . Athletic director Mark Wharton said
the school will have a private dinner for him Friday night and estimates about
2
Cheap Sam Darnold Jersey ,000 people will gather at McKenzie Arena for Owens’ induction speech Saturday afternoon.Plans to celebrate Owens’ Hall of Fame career in Chattanooga had been in the works since March. That’s when Wharton attended Owens’ induction into the
Alabama Sports Hall of Fame and heard some of the receiver’s stories from his
college days for over an hour.”From there, his team started saying fairly immediately that he wanted to do something in Chattanooga round the Hall of Fame,” Wharton said. ”I assumed – we
all assumed (since) nobody’s not gone to Canton – we assumed and started
planning for the weekend before. Then in May or so, Terrell notified all of us
his desires to have it here.”Owens’ decision to avoid Canton has been called a mistake by Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, Owens’ former boss who was inducted into the Hall of Famer
last year. Several former players and Hall of Famers also have criticized
Owens.The Pro Football Hall of Fame still will honor Owens as part of the weekend festivities. Owens, who ranks second in NFL history in career yards receiving
(15,934) and third in touchdown catches (153) , will be part of the 2018 class
exhibit with his picture on a light standard at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium
and his own glass locker.Hall of Fame President David Baker called Owens’ decision unprecedented and disappointing .”We respect he has strong feelings of his own and I respect his right to make that decision,” Baker said. ”I invited him to the hall
Mark Walton Jersey Bengals , even at the last moment he would be welcomed, and he is welcomed every day the rest of his life. Even though he is not here, we
will honor him to the best of our ability.”Owens has never wavered. He retweeted someone who noted any message he provides in his induction speech would be heard by many more people in Canton
rather than Chattanooga.”This choice wasn’t made for the millions,” Owens replied via Twitter . ”It was made for the ones that matter.”—AP Pro Football Writer Barry Wilner contributed to this report.—The San Francisco 49ers are easing linebacker Reuben Foster back into the system after he missed the start of the offseason program while dealing with a
domestic violence case that was eventually dropped.Foster was not allowed to participate in the offseason program until a judge ruled last week that he wouldn't have to stand trial on domestic violence
charges. The judge determined there was no evidence that Foster ever hit his
ex-girlfriend.Foster rejoined the Niners last Thursday but has been held out of team drills as he gets back into form after missing more than five weeks of the offseason
program while waiting for his case to be resolved.He took part in individual drills during organized team activities but spent the time during team drills doing conditioning or watching teammates."Getting him up to speed won't take as long," defensive coordinator Robert Saleh said. "I can promise you that when he gets out there, he'll be like a
fireball. It will be cool to see."Foster had a trying offseason following an arrest in February on charges of beating up his girlfriend. He was charged in April with felony domestic
violence, forcefully attempting to dissuade a witness and felony possession of
an assault weapon.That led to the decision by the 49ers to keep him away from the offseason program and general manager John Lynch said Foster would be cut if it was proven
he hit his girlfriend.But the case quickly fell apart. The accuser, Elissa Ennis, recanted her accusations two days after telling police she was hit in the head eight to 10
times by Foster. She testified at a preliminary hearing earlier this month that
the injuries were caused by a fight with another woman and she gave prosecutors
video of that fight. She said she lied initially because she wanted retribution
after Foster tried to end their relationship.Judge Nona Klippen said recantations aren't uncommon in domestic violence cases but said there was no supporting evidence in this case that Foster had
attacked Ennis and dropped the domestic violence charges. Foster still faces a
misdemeanor weapons charge for having a Sig Sauer 516 short-barreled rifle in
his home that was legally registered in Alabama.Foster also had a misdemeanor marijuana case dismissed in Alabama this month when he completed a pretrial diversion program."Reuben is in a good spot right now
Buccaneers Ronald Jones II Jersey ," 49ers defensive assistant Johnny Holland said. "He's been through a lot in the offseason. Going through court cases you
never know what's going to happen. He still has a long road to go but he's
excited to be back out here. He's family. We wanted to keep him encouraged while
he was away and we welcomed him back."The 49ers drafted Foster 31st overall last year after questions about his health and character caused him to drop from being a possible top 10 pick.Foster delivered on the field, ranking second on the team with 72 tackles despite being limited to 10 games as a rookie because of injuries. He is being
counted on now to be a key part of San Francisco's defensive future."For the 10 games he played in, I thought he was outstanding," Holland said. "His ceiling is very high. He's going to be better this year. We're excited to
have him back and hopefully he can come back at full speed and his health is not
a factor and he can be an outstanding football player.".
