>Terrell Owens has decided to celebrate his induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame at Chattanooga Marcedes Lewis Youth Jersey , where he played college football.The former NFL All-Pro receiver, who has said he was not attending the induction ceremony in Canton, Ohio, released a statement on Tuesday saying he would give his acceptance speech at his alma mater.“I have decided to give my Hall of Fame speech at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga in McKenzie Arena on Saturday, August 4,” Owens posted on . “The event, which is free and open to the public, starts at 3:17 p.m.”Owens added that he is “proud to be a Moc Kolton Miller Jersey , and I’m honored to be able 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.”The 44-year-old Owens said he is looking forward to the event, and “Getcha popcorn ready.”Owens was a three-sport athlete at Chattanooga, where he played football from 1992-95. He also played basketball and ran track for the Mocs. Owens said he “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.”He was voted into the hall in February after being denied in his first two years of eligibility. His announcement last month that he was skipping the Aug. 4 induction ceremony at the Pro Football Hall of Fame is unprecedented by an enshrinee.In a statement released last month by his publicist, Owens said: “While I am incredibly appreciative of this opportunity, I have made the decision to publicly decline my invitation to attend the induction ceremony in Canton.“After visiting Canton earlier this year, I came to the realization that I wish to celebrate what will be one of the most memorable days of my life Cheap Taven Bryan Jersey , elsewhere,” Owens added. “At a later date, I will announce where and when I will celebrate my induction.”Chattanooga athletic director Mark Wharton said Tuesday that Owens first spoke with school officials “several months ago” about the possibility of having some type of event in Chattanooga. At the time, Owens hadn’t yet indicated he was skipping the Canton induction ceremony.Wharton said Owens spoke with them again “two to three weeks ago” about the possibility of giving his induction speech on campus and that officials were “ecstatic” about the idea.“Obviously we supported him going to Canton,” Wharton said. “At the time, there hadn’t been any living Hall of Fame members who did not go to Canton, so our assumption was that he was (going to Canton). But in multiple conversations with him and his team, he felt most comfortable doing it in a place that molded him into the player and person he is today.”Wharton said the specifics of the Aug. 4 ceremony haven’t been finalized Marcus Davenport Jersey , but he expects a weekend full of events around town honoring Owens.Owens entered the league as a third-round pick by San Francisco in 1996 and developed into a star known for some memorable playoff appearances, including his winning 25-yard TD catch to beat Green Bay in 1999; his 177 yards in a comeback win against the Giants in 2003; and his nine catches for 122 yards in the 2004 Super Bowl against New England just seven weeks after breaking his leg.He ranks second to Jerry Rice with 15,934 yards receiving and is third on the all-time touchdowns receiving list with 153.Owens heavily criticized the voting process when he failed to be elected in 2016 and 2017. Among the reasons he fell short were his being considered a divisive teammate and negative presence in the locker room.AP Pro Football Writer Barry Wilner contributed to this report.
OTTAWA — Two teams sliding toward the regular-season finish line and early tee times will meet up on short rest at Canadian Tire Centre on Tuesday night.

The Ottawa Senators (26-38-11) will be the hosts 24 hours after having their losing streak extended to five games with a 4-1 road beating by the Carolina Hurricanes. The Senators, who are still very much in contention for the dubious distinction of owning best draft lottery odds, have now been outscored 22-7 in their last four games.

Supplying the opposition will be a New York Islanders (31-35-10) team still had a shot at qualifying for the postseason tournament the last time they won two in a row. Unfortunately, that was Feb. 15-16.

Since then, the Islanders are 2-10-4 and — after being shut out 3-0 at home by the Florida Panthers on Monday — have now dropped three straight.

The loss officially eliminated the Islanders from the playoffs for the second spring in row.

“We got off to a pretty good start this season (but) the second half of the season really hasn’t been very good,” captain John Tavares told reporters after the game. “We put ourselves in this position.”

The future of Tavares comes under even closer scrutiny now that the Islanders final six games have no significance. The rest of the NHL will be watching closely for signs of whether they’ll be able to sign their first overall pick of the 2009 entry draft or if he hits the free agent market on July 1.

In nine seasons with the Islanders Cheap Nick Chubb Jersey , Tavares has played 663 games and scored 615 points.

Asked about his plans on Monday, Tavares was brief with his response.

“I’m just focused on playing,” he said.

The Senators were without their own captain, Erik Karlsson, when they travelled to Carolina. That meant they had three rookies on their blue line — Thomas Chabot, Ben Harpur and Christian Wolanin.

Playing his first NHL game was center Ben Sexton, whose father Randy was one of the franchise’s founding fathers as well the team’s second GM.

Senators coach Guy Boucher compared having so many fresh faces in the lineup to “throwing lions into the den.”

“They’ve got to learn somehow, right Calvin Ridley Youth Jersey ,” said goalie Craig Anderson, who made 26 saves in Carolina. “Right now, it’s a good time. You see some guys stepping into roles they’re not used to playing and doing quite well with it.”

The Senators and Islanders have met twice this season, with the Islanders scoring a 2-1 win Nov. 25 at Canadian Tire Centre and Ottawa taking a 6-5 victory out of Barclays Center one week later.

With Christopher Gibson playing Monday, the Islanders are expected to go with Jaroslav Halak in Ottawa. He has a 7-7-3 career record against the Senators.

Mike Condon is expected to play the second of Ottawa’s back-to-backs. He has a 3-1-0 all-time mark versus the Islanders.

The only player to score for either team on Monday was Senators winger Bobby Ryan, who now has two goals in two games and 10 on the season.

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