The Pro Football Hall of Fame announced their incoming class on Saturday, and former San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Terrell Owens did not make the cut. This year’s class will include running backs Ladanian Tomlinson and Terrell Davis, defensive end Jason Taylor, quarterback Kurt Warner, kicker Morten Andersen, and Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones (as contributor). Additionally, senior committee nominee and former NFL safety Kenny Easley also made it.
The HOF voters started with a group of 15 people, cut it down to 10, and then cut it down to the final five players. TO got extensive debate, but did not even make it past the cut to 10. Naturally he was not pleased with the result, calling it a flawed process.
Saturday evening, the son of a 49ers Hall of Famer chimed in on Twitter. Josh Wilcox, son of Hall of Fame linebacker Dave Wilcox blasted TO on Twitter. TO called the Hall of Fame a “total joke,” and Wilcox referenced his dad having to wait more than 25 years to get in.
Yeah not like my father who was a 7x Pro Bowler between 1964-74 who had to wait over 25 years
— Josh Wilcox (@realjoshwilcox) February 5, 2017
He never bitched
Go do some sit ups on a lawn https://t.co/axoqfebgp1
Neither side of this surprises me. I am not surprised TO is pissed off, and I am not surprised the son of an old school former NFL player would call him out for it. And I am perfectly fine with both reactions. I am bemused by people telling others to stop complaining, and considering TO’s numbers and that playoff performance with the Eagles (played with a leg fracture), I am inclined to side with the should-be Hall of Fame wide receiver.
However, TO is not doing himself any favors with his complaints. He deserves to be in, and I think some of the voters holding out are holding petty grudges. But I have a hunch his complaints only serve to leave some of those voters feeling further defensive.
TO is gonna be TO, so that’s just the way things are going to be. I think eventually he gets in, but it might be a few years.