Terrell Owens came in wearing a suit spotted with the Pro Football Hall of Fame logo and swapped that out for the prized gold jacket.
His bust? That remained 600 miles away in Canton
Jordan Mills Jersey , Ohio, along with the seven other members of this year's Hall of Fame class, leaving the stage at the University of Tennessee at
Chattanooga all alone to Owens.
And yes, the man known as T.O. later brought out a big bucket of popcorn.
Owens entered the Pro Football Hall of Fame in a celebration uniquely his own Saturday afternoon at his alma mater before approximately 3,000 fans who
frequently cheered, chanted "T.O." and gave him the occasional standing ovation.
Owens also made clear why he chose to enter the Hall of Fame with a ceremony in
Chattanooga instead of with Ray Lewis, Randy Moss and former Eagles teammate
Brian Dawkins in Ohio.
"A lot of people say that I may regret not being in Canton 10, 15, 20 years from now," Owens said. "But just like my choice to be here today, I choose not
to live in regret. I will leave a legacy that will leave an imprint on this
world forever."
Owens used part of a speech lasting about 39 minutes to explain why he was in Chattanooga instead of Canton, addressing the "elephant in the room."
Near the end of his speech, Owens asked anyone who had ever felt isolated, misunderstood or bullied to stand up. Then Owens encouraged them not to be
afraid to be themselves.
"We have more commonalities than differences. This entire speech you thought was about me, this was for you," Owens said.
None of his former NFL teammates could be seen in the crowd. Johnny Taylor, the 17th pick overall in the 1997 NBA draft by Orlando, flew in to see his
former teammate inducted into the hall. He understands that some people were
surprised by Owens' decision.
"He's always going to do it his way and what's beneficial to him and his family," Taylor said. "Me personally, I'm excited that he is doing it here. It
means so much to the city, it means so much to the university. It speaks volumes
to the type of person that he is, even though other people may think other of
him."
Fans wore Owens' No. 81 jersey from his stints in Dallas Malik Hooker Jersey , San Francisco and Philadelphia.
