If you didn’t watch the theatrical event that was the Terrell Owens-Drew Rosenhaus press conference Tuesday, you missed quite the show.Scene 1: An insincere apology from arguably the best receiver in the NFL, as well as the biggest whiner in professional athletics, in Owens.
Scene 2: A tongue-lashing from, Rosenhaus, a guy who learned the art of negotiations from watch Jerry Maguire and acquired his tact from the inside of a Denny’s bathroom.
Scenes 3 through 19: “Next question.”
Scene 20: The media is to blame for all of our (Owens and Rosenhaus) problems.
Scene: 21-29: “Next question.”
Scene 30: Finale.
Owens walked out of his estate alongside Rosenhaus and it began. Owens apologized, in the loosest form of the word, to the Philadelphia Eagles organization, its players, head coach and general manager Andy Reid and quarterback Donovan McNabb for his actions and comments that were deemed “detrimental to the team,” and warranted a four-game suspension and a likely spot on his couch for the rest of the season.
Immediately following the brief statement read by the disgruntled receiver, Rosenhaus stepped in front of the microphone and led the plummeting airplane nose first into a mountain.
The agent began telling the world that his player is filled with remorse and deserves another chance.
Another chance? How many chances does No. 81 deserve? I suppose his exile from San Francisco wasn’t a hint at an attitude problem. Maybe his weeklong suspension from this past training camp would have let Owens know that his antics would not be tolerated. No, I guess that didn’t work out too well. Wait a minute. How about a verbal warning, telling Owens to apologize to the organization, his teammates and McNabb last week? Well, he didn’t do that until it was too late.
However, I suppose he does deserve another shot. And the New York Jets’ quarterback Brooks Bollinger will win the NFL MVP.
I don’t see either scenario happening. Although, I am pulling for Bollinger.
As hard as I try, I cannot force myself to feel sorry for Owens or any other player who continually oversteps his or her boundary between arrogance and belligerence.
If I walk into my publisher’s office tomorrow morning demanding a higher wage or I’ll be sure to cause a commotion around the office, by 10 a.m., chances are strong that I’ll be standing in line at the post office, sending out my resume as the newest unemployed slob in Lock Haven.
Reid and the Eagles’ organization did the right thing in suspending Owens. No team, no organization should submit to the unnecessary banter given from the biggest nut in their peanut gallery.
T.O. is the antithesis of teamwork. If the Eagles, or any team, are going to thrive in the NFL, the egos must be checked at the door.
In the footage, now infamous, we can see T.O. following McNabb around the sidelines like a puppy, barking orders at the franchise player, simply because he wasn’t the object of his quarterback’s attention.
Are players like that that important to the team? Never. Sure, he is one of the best receivers in the game. Unfortunately, for everyone around him, that talent comes at a price too high for any team in the league, both monetarily and psychologically.
Most of us have heard the adage, “there’s no `I’ in `team.'” Well, the last time I looked, there’s no `T.O.’ in `team’ either. I’m just glad to see that Reid and the Eagles are making that a mainstay in Philadelphia.
One reply on “A Timeout for T.O.”
Point 2 I dont like the second point where you say he learned his art of negotation from watching jerry maguire. They based a character in that movie off of him.