While another Hall of Famer and former San Francisco 49ers player, Jerry Rice, considered to be the greatest receiver ever to play the game, did make the list, Owens did not.
After voicing his displeasure surrounding the snub via Twitter, Owens joined 95.7 The Game to discuss his omission from the NFL 100 All-Time Team. He was not exactly surprised that he didn't make the cut of 10 wide receivers. Owens had to wait to be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, after all.
"For me, it's very, very disrespectful," Owens said on the "Joe, Lo and Dibs" show. "For me, it's sad that the NFL have appointed people to keep the integrity of the game intact, and they failed in this instance, I think miserably, allowing outside elements to skew the obvious. And that's obviously (not) put me into the 100 of all-time to play the game."
Owens noted that he took a look at the list of individuals who make up the voting 26-person blue-ribbon panel, and as soon as he saw Joe Horrigan on there, he immediately questioned his chances of being named to the NFL 100 All-Time Team.
Horrigan has been a Pro Football Hall of Fame executive for 42 years. Owens notes that Horrigan told the media that he didn't plan to acknowledge the former NFL receiver during the Hall of Fame induction after Owens informed them that he would not attend. The problem is that Owens and Pro Football of Fame officials had already agreed not to discuss the matter with the media.
"(Pro Football Hall of Fame president) David Baker called me and apologized ..." Owens continued. "They apologized because he went outside of what we had agreed to do. So Joe Horrigan, once I found out he was on the panel, I knew he was basically trying to make a statement that, 'Oh, you stiffed us with Canton, we're going to stiff you with this 100 All-Time Team, you being one of the 10 receivers.'"
Owens added that he wasn't upset by the snub. He just felt disrespected.
"At the end of the day, I still feel like I'm one of the 100 best to ever play the game," Owens said. "Definitely one of the top five that ever played at the receiver position."
You can listen to the entire conversation with Owens below.
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