Terrell Owens, one of the best wide receivers in NFL history, announced recently that he will not attend the 2018 Pro Football Hall of Fame induction ceremony. Instead, Owens will give his induction speech at his alma mater, the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga. 

"After giving it much thought I have realized just how much I want to celebrate what will inevitably be the best weekend of my life at a place that means so much to me," Owens wrote in a message posted to Twitter. 

"I'm proud to be a Moc, and I'm honored to share this experience with my family, friends, teammates and fans at the place that provided me an opportunity beyond high school and where I truly began to find myself as an athlete. Thank you to everyone who has supported my celebration decision. I look forward to seeing you all in Chattanooga. Getcha popcorn ready!" 

The Hall of Fame is matching Owens by excluding him entirely from the induction proceedings, the Hall's executive director told Clark Judge of the Talk of Fame Network. 

Owens will not be introduced for Friday night's Gold Jacket ceremony, nor will he be announced the following night at Canton's annual induction ceremony, said the Hall's executive director, Joe Horrigan.

"The focus," Horrigan said, "is on the guys who are here."

And that excludes Owens.

Instead, the Hall of Fame will simply mail Owens his gold jacket first thing Saturday -- the morning after the rest of the Class of 2018 receives their jackets. Owens will still appear on materials featuring the entire Hall of Fame class, but "There's no reason to bring him up as an individual," Horrigan said. "He's not here."

In addition to Owens, the 2018 class includes Ray Lewis, Randy Moss, Brian Urlacher, Brian Dawkins, Bobby Beathard, Jerry Kramer, and Robert Brazile.