The Pro Football Hall of Fame is rumored to be considering a new rule that would require candidates for enshrinement to turn up at the induction ceremony. If they are a no show, they will receive no glory, The Score reported this week.
The requirement is yet to be confirmed, and Hall of Famer Cris Carter dismissed the news as "fake" in a post to Twitter, however, NBC Sports Pro Football Talk cited multiple sources confirming the news on Monday.
According to the report, candidates would have to commit to attend the Hall of Fame enshrinement ceremony before the selection committee makes its final choices.
The rule was reportedly proposed after Terrell Owens opted to boycott the ceremony in Canton, Ohio, on Friday by holding his own off-site event at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga after not being selected into the Hall of Fame in 2016 or 2017, Bleacher Report noted.
"It's about the mere fact that the sports writers are not in alignment with the mission and core values of the Hall of Fame," Owens said. "These writers disregarded the system, criteria, and by-laws by which guys are inducted, and ultimately the true meaning of the Hall of Fame, and what it represents."
One anonymous source told Pro Football Talk that members of the Hall of Fame attending the annual Ray Nitschke luncheon, strongly disagreed with Owens' boycott and felt it was important to prevent such acts from becoming a trend.
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