San Francisco 49ers

Terrell Owens defends infamous celebration on Cowboys' star

Published Feb. 10, 2016 7:00 p.m. ET

foxsports

Former NFL wide receiver Terrell Owens, who played for five different teams from 1996-2010, was most known for his controversial celebrations. When recalling the most memorable moments of his career, one image always comes to mind: him as a member of the San Francisco 49ers, standing on top of the Dallas Cowboys' logo at the center of Texas Stadium.

During an appearance on ESPN's "Mike & Mike" on Wednesday, Owens had a chance to defend that celebration from September 24, 2000. He said that it was originally meant to be a celebration of his faith, and he blamed the media for contorting into something controversial.

Via ESPN:

It had nothing to do with me trying to taunt my opponent, had nothing to do with me trying to taunt the Cowboys…

Texas Stadium, there’s a hole in the top of the building. They said, "That's America’s Team, God’s looking down on America's Team." My coach was like, "Yo" -- he motivated me (to do this) -- "This is what this is about. Go to the star, give your thanks to God, because he's watching down on this game, and show him who’s the best player today."

And that's what I did. It had nothing to do with me taunting my opponent. But the media, that’s what they say it is.

The 49ers beat the Cowboys, 41-24, in that game, and Owens caught two touchdowns. He got away with the braggadocious display atop the star after his first score, but his second attempt at the cocky celebration was cut short when Cowboys safety George Teague chased him down from 50 yards away and delivered a crushing blow that started a scrum.

Owens, who later played for the Cowboys, was passed over for the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2016 (former Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Marvin Harrison was selected instead). His career stats alone are strong enough to warrant inclusion, so perhaps his character kept him from becoming a first-ballot inductee.