A Little Revenge for #RavensNation: T.O. denied Entry into Hall of Fame

Unfortunately I did not make it. CONGRATS to the 2016 HOF CLASS. Thanks to ALL MY FANS for ur unwavering love & support. #ONLYGODCANJUDGEME

— Terrell Owens (@terrellowens) February 7, 2016

About eleven years ago, T.O. was in protest.

Tonight, he is in protest again.

The first reference is pointing to the 49ers-Ravens trade in 2004 which sent WR Terrell Owens to Baltimore for a 2nd round pick. The only problem was, Owens had already signed a contract with the Eagles on his own. He refused to show up to Ravens facilities and the NFL ruled in his favor, compensating the Ravens and 49ers in the process.

The latter reference is about a denial aimed at T.O. this time; the Pro Football Hall of Fame denied him entry on this, his first ballot.

The above tweet came out before the public announcement of the results of the vote, and since then, Owens has retweeted a number of fans who are protesting alongside him.

Baltimore Beatdown had our own HOF vote, and Owens was a very popular vote-earner. I was the lone dissenting voice, my reasoning being that he was too much of a gun-for-hire to have had what is called a storied career. He had success in many different places, but this denial begs the question, were his off-field antics too much for voters to reward? His well-known me-first game mentality? Judging by his hashtag #OnlyGodCanJudgeMe (and thus defying it), this will be the beginning of a period of time where he will have to reflect on that question.

And maybe, just maybe, this one: "What if I had just gone to Baltimore?"

The irony is rich and real.