Lofton on Owens: ‘He’s a Hall-of-Famer, in my book’

James Lofton is a former NFL wide receiver and a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

That, alone, makes him qualified to talk about the Hall worthiness of another former standout receiver, Terrell Owens.

‘Sometimes that perception, people run away with’

But there’s one more reason to listen to Lofton: He was part of the Hall-of-Fame voting panel in Houston on Feb. 5, when, for the second year in a row, Owens was eliminated in the reduction from 15 to 10 finalists.

Lofton voted for Owens, and was surprised he wasn’t a part of the Class of 2017.

‘He scored double the touchdowns I scored’

“All these negatives about Terrell Owens, we don’t know,” Lofton said on the SiriusXM Blitz. “It’s a perception, and sometimes that perception, people run away with. ‘Oh, the teams couldn’t wait to get rid of him.’ He played for the 49ers for eight years, so was it in year one when they couldn’t wait to get rid of him? Was it in year four? Was it in year six? Was it when we signed a six-year, $40-million contract with them? There’s no reality there. They liked the way he played.

“And (during the selection meeting) I talked about, when I looked down at the 100-by-53-and-third-yard-wide field, man, I saw a special player. And I said, ‘I was a good player. I scored 75 touchdowns. Seventy-five! That was a lot. He scored double the touchdowns I scored. So, here I am, up on the table, talking about him. He’s a Hall-of-Famer, in my book.”