In the days following this year’s Hall of Fame voting, wide receiver Terrell Owens did plenty of complaining about the fact he didn’t make it.
But in a startlingly frank statement from a guy who is normally so quiet, one of the guys who made it this year told him to put a sock in it.
During an interview with the Talk of Fame Network, former Colts wideout Marvin Harrison had a harsh rebuke of Owens’ gripes, saying he wasn’t concerned about the possibility he’d split receiver votes and cause a logjam like the one that held up Cris Carter, Tim Brown and Andre Reed’s induction.
“I wasn’t concerned at all,’’ Harrison told hosts Ron Borges, Rick Gosselin and Clark Judge. “I’m not concerned about, you know, T.O. Not one bit. I was concerned about myself. I wasn’t worried about splitting the vote with anyone. That was it.
“The person who was supposed to get in got in. And that was me. If he didn’t get in, that’s his problem. He can talk all that other bulls--- like he’s been doing. That’s on him. But I’m in. My jacket is gold. I will look in the rear view for nobody.
“So he can get his ass in whenever he gets in, . . . if he gets in. If he doesn’t get in too bad. The hell with him.”
Wow Marvin, tell us how you really feel about T.O.
Harrison doesn’t have to apologize for his entry, as he was third all-time with 1,102 receptions, seventh in yardage (14,580) and fifth in touchdowns (128). Owens is sixth on the all-time reception list (1,078), second in yards (15,934) and third touchdowns (153).
And while Owens certainly has Hall of Fame credentials, his history of divisiveness was certainly a factor, and might have kept him from being a slam dunk. While former Colts coach and fellow Hall of Famer Tony Dungy is certainly biased, Dungy said he’d prefer Harrison over Owens “every day of the week.”
