The Observer, November 18, 2005
Volume XXXVIII, Issue 11
NFL Guru: Terrell Owens hurt the most by his unruly behavior
After only a little more than a year with the Philadelphia Eagles, star wide receiver Terrell Owens was given his dishonorable discharge last week in the form of a four-game suspension (the maximum team suspension allowed by the league) and deactivation from the Eagles' roster when he returns from the suspension. But before I discuss how the situation was handled and speculating where T.O. will end up, I will recap how Owens arrived at his suspension:
Mar. 16, 2004: After failing to meet the deadline to void the final three years of his contract with the San Francisco 49ers, Owens gets traded against his will to the Baltimore Ravens. However, Owens files against the trade, and the 49ers, Eagles, and Ravens reach a settlement that ends with T.O. going to Philly.
April, 2005: In an interview with ESPN, Owens takes a shot at Eagles QB, Donovan McNabb, insinuating that McNabb got tired in the Super Bowl. In this month Owens also fires his old agent and hires Drew Rosenhaus to renegotiate the deal he signed with the Eagles in 2004. Philadelphia refuses to change the contract, upsetting Owens.
Aug. 10, 2005: After several incidents in training camp (among them, telling his offensive coordinator "speak to me only when I speak to you") culminate in a shouting match between Owens and head coach Andy Reid, Owens is told to leave training camp for a week.
Nov. 3, 2005: Owens takes another shot at McNabb, saying Packers QB Brett Favre would be better for the team. Owens also calls the Eagles organization classless for not acknowledging his 100th touchdown catch, before being informed that the Eagles do not acknowledge individual achieve-ments. After reading a scripted, hollow-sounding apology, Owens is suspended indefinitely.
Nov. 5, 2005: Reid announces Owens' suspension, explaining that he will not be playing for Philadelphia for the rest of the season. Reid also mentions more infractions committed by Owens, such as a locker-room brawl with team ambassador Hugh Douglas.
After learning of the severity of his suspension, Owens made a much more sincere apology, but it was too little, too late. It only took the superstar receiver one year to run out his welcome in Philadelphia, a team which showed an impressive amount of patience before finally pulling the plug. The Eagles have done everything expected of them and more to keep Owens on the team, watching him fritter away chance after chance they gave him. Criticizing his quarterback wasn't so bad – many times players will call out others on the team in an effort to motivate them – but calling out the coaches and the organization is unacceptable. Telling his coaches not to talk to him, yelling at his head coach, and demanding the front office to acknowledge his individual accomplishments all scream to Owens' true nature: he is playing the game for himself first.
It took a year's suspension from football to make Owens realize that he had genuinely screwed up. Judging from his half-baked apology, before he knew that he would be deactivated, he was perfectly happy to sit out his four games so he could come back as the hero and bail the Eagles out once again. People everywhere have shouted that this suspension is unfair, and a grievance with the league has already been filed. But I say that this punishment is perfectly appropriate: it took a penalty this severe to get through his thick, selfish head. For a team to say that they would rather lose games then have him in the locker room, especially a team in the thick of the playoff hunt, is a powerful message.
More than just getting through to T.O. what a mistake he had made, this is also a message for the other teams in the league. When one team has made such a statement as the Eagles have, that player is going to have a hard time convincing other clubs that he will make a positive contribution on their roster. Even teams in desperate need of a receiver will be passing on Owens, because no matter where he ends up, he will find a way to complain about his team. The Dallas Cowboys have been named as a possible destination for Owens, as have the Atlanta Falcons. If Owens goes to the Cowboys, he will end up fighting with coach Bill Parcells because Parcells' strict team-first mentality is the law. If T.O. goes to Atlanta, he will end up griping about quarterback Michael Vick running too much and not throwing him the ball enough. No matter what, Terrell Owens will find something to complain about because he likes the attention it creates.
Finally, the one whom Owens has hurt the most throughout this entire ordeal is himself. He has ruined his reputation throughout the league. Furthermore, the irony here is that if he had not been such a cancer in the locker room, he probably would have received a more lucrative contract. Even if he is unable to comprehend the loss of his reputation, he will surely be able to understand the millions of dollars he has potentially thrown away due to his antics.
