ESPN analyst and Hall of Famer Steve Young has come out in defense of his ex 49ers teammate Terrell Owens’ HOF candidacy. According to knbr.com, Young thinks T.O. is more than deserving of the honor, saying:
Yeah. Because I played with him, I felt like I knew him. I knew the abilities he had. There’s no question he’s struggled with a lot of things, but in the end, yes.
T.O., for the second year in a row, was denied entry into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. If you pay attention to the narrative and what is being said by voters, T.O. was a bad teammate, a bad guy, and that’s why he’s being denied entry. It’s no secret that many of the football writers (who are also voters) don’t like T.O. personally and are punishing him. It’s the height of hypocrisy and something needs to be done about media members with HOF votes that hold grudges against players. The HOF’s in every sport are filled with people who are not well liked. But, that isn’t what the HOF is for. It is a reward for your career accomplishments. Check the receipts, nobody can deny T.O. is a sure fire Hall of Famer.
Young went on to say:
In 97-98 he would say ‘yes sir’. I said ‘Terrell, call me Steve…I know I’m old, c’mon.’ But he was very respectful. He worked as hard as Jerry Rice — I’ve never said that about anyone else by the way. He was willing to stand next to Jerry and work, and I’ve never seen that before. So to me, what I saw were his physical abilities were incredible. The work ethic, incredible, and a very respectful guy.
When a lot of the veteran 49ers left during the ’99 and ’00 seasons, T.O. was thrust into a leadership role and clearly it was something he was not ready for. He has certainly made his fair share of mistakes, but his stats and what he did on the field of play speaks for itself. Here’s hoping that more of the guys that played with T.O. come out in support of what he rightfully deserves.