In the bustling city of San Francisco, NFL legend Terrell Owens has sparked a debate over the Hall of Fame eligibility of one of football’s most iconic figures, Tom Brady. Owens, known for his candid opinions, shared his perspective during an exclusive interview with The California Post on Wednesday.
Owens voiced his belief that Brady, widely regarded as one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time, should not be inducted into the Hall of Fame on his first try in 2028. His comments come in the wake of reported snubs for Bill Belichick and Robert Kraft, both of whom recently faced a delay in their Hall of Fame recognition.
“Honestly, if you’re looking at it,” Owens said while appearing at Super Bowl LX Radio Row representing Sharpie, “if Bill Belichick and Robert Kraft aren’t first-ballot inductees, then Tom Brady shouldn’t be either. It’s nothing personal against him.”
Owens elaborated on his viewpoint, questioning why Brady should receive immediate entry if his key collaborators, Kraft and Belichick, do not. “How can you have Tom Brady go in when he’s eligible in 2028? Why would he be inducted if Robert Kraft and Bill Belichick aren’t on their first try?” he asked.
Owens further reasoned that Brady’s success was intricately linked to the leadership and strategies of Kraft and Belichick. “Yes, Tom Brady is a phenomenal quarterback,” Owens acknowledged. “But without Robert Kraft drafting him and without Bill Belichick’s coaching, he wouldn’t be the player he is today. They’re a package deal.”
He concluded emphatically, “He shouldn’t go in either,” arguing for a consistent approach to Hall of Fame inductions that reflects the collaborative nature of their successes.
Brady’s resume, of course, says otherwise. In 23 NFL seasons, he won seven Super Bowls, earned MVP honors three times and was selected to the Pro Bowl on 15 different occasions. He also ended his time in the league with numerous records, including most-ever passing yards (89,214) and passing touchdowns (649).
But Belichick’s resume was just as a strong, and once he didn’t get in on his first go-around this week, Owens made it clear Brady shouldn’t either, especially if things like Spygate and Deflategate played roles in the coach’s slight.
“If you want to bring up the idea of cheating, Tom Brady did the Deflategate,” Owens said. “Like, he had to serve a suspension because there was something he was doing. That’s cheating. That was proven. He got suspended. He did something. Otherwise, he would have never got suspended.
“So, how do you put Tom in on the first go-around, but you don’t put these two in?”
Owens famously had his own battle with the Hall of Fame nearly a decade ago.
Despite statistics that suggest he’s one of the greatest receivers to ever play in the league, it took until his third try in 2018 to get his bronze bust.
He said on Wednesday the whole selection process is still “ridiculous” and a “travesty,” and he’d love to see big changes going forward.
“They need to put something in place in order for the Hall of Fame to be legit,” Owens said. “Because at this rate, it’s getting out of hand.
“The writers, they’re having too much power of the pen.”
