Terrell Owens Explains Why He's Skipping Hall Of Fame Ceremony

Terrell Owens says if he was voted into the Hall of Fame on the first ballot, he would have had his ceremony in Canton with the rest of the class ... but since he wasn't, he won't.

Simple as that.

We got T.O. out at Century City Mall when he revealed to us the real reason he's doing his own thing at UT Chattanooga rather than in Ohio ... saying he doesn't feel it was right he was kept outta the Hall the past two years.

"In terms of the criteria, the bylaws and what it takes for a guy to get in -- when it came to me, other things came into play," Owens says.

"And for me, that doesn't bode well for me."

Owens tell us that reporters lied about his character throughout his career ... which he feels led to him being unfairly locked out of the HOF on his first two attempts.

Because of that ... he's giving a big middle finger to the Hall, and he doesn't care what you think about it.