Terrell Owens hurting his legacy with another move

The latest twist in the Terrell Owens saga reminds us that Hall of Fame voters will wince someday when writing his name on ballots.

Owens had a decent season with Cincinnati that ended with knee surgery on Monday. But the Bengals reportedly will not re-sign him. So the gifted diva who ranks fifth in career receptions will start 2011 with his fourth team in three seasons, hardly a selling point for inclusion in the Hall of Fame.

The decision might be related to Owens's remarks about his superiors and the venue he chose to voice them: teammate Chad Ochocinco's TV show.

"I think there's underachieving from the top down," Owens said. "In order for us to do what we're allowed to do at the best of our abilities, the coaches have to put the players in the best position." The Bengals concluded that Owens' best position with them is no position. They are 3-11, and the Owens-Ocho experiment has done little for the locker room.

If Owens' candidacy will challenge the gatekeepers of the Hall, what about Randy Moss? The eighth-leading receiver in league history has played on three teams this season alone. Soon after New England jettisoned him to Minnesota, he urged the Vikings owner to replace the coach. Instead, the coach replaced Moss, who now warms the Tennessee bench.

It has come to this: listeners to a sports-radio talk show suspect that an anonymous caller who urged that the Tennessee coach Jeff Fisher be fired was Moss. Maybe his bust at the Hall could be hidden in a closet.

sports@thenational.ae