Bad Attitudes Could Delay Trips To Canton For Moss and T.O.

On Tuesday I did a story about Pat Tillman and how he deserves at least a special place in the Hall of Fame for his ultimate sacrifice for his country.

Well yesterday afternoon I read an article in the Sporting News about how Terrell Owens and Randy Moss’s attitudes towards the game could delay their entrance into Canton.

Now I’m not here to discuss their stats, after all the NFL has yet to extend me an invite to vote in their yearly popularity contest (probably all those threats I made to Peter King about Art Monk), but I’m here to discuss the legitimacy of a Hall of Fame that doesn’t solely look at on the field statistics.

Sure if these two were monsters and ate babies I’d want them banished from the land, but they’re not. They’re just childish babies that we society created because they could catch a weird shaped ball and run with it really, really fast.

I’m not excusing their behavior, after all, a man is a man and should act like one. But when you are praised your whole life because of a talent and never have to take responsibility for your actions it becomes a learned behavior.

What we’re really talking about here is a couple of knuckle heads who are at worst bad teammates, and at best (at least in T.O’s case) a guy who can get a team over the hump and into the Super Bowl.

So the question remains, should these two have to wait longer than their skills allow to get into the Hall of Fame?

In my opinion, no, they shouldn’t. If the voters believe these two based on their stats and skills are first or second ballot Hall of Famers then they should vote them in accordingly and not second guess that vote because Owens alluded to Jeff Garcia being gay, or Randy Moss left the field with less then 20 seconds left on the clock and his team had zero shot at tying, let alone beating the Redskins.

Honestly though this point is moot since neither has retired and even after that they still have to wait five years before they become eligible. And let’s face it, the way athletes’ behavior is deteriorating these days in five or six years T.O and Moss might look like angels.