Terrell Owens earned his fate

By: Larry Fitzgerald
Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder
Originally posted 11/30/2005

 

Don’t feel sorry for Terrell Owens — feel sorry for T.O. You see, T.O. is the alter ego of Terrell Owens, the gifted yet suspended wide receiver of the Philadelphia Eagles.

 

Last year, Terrell Owens, formerly of the San Francisco 49ers, failed to file free agency papers by the NFL-mandated deadline. However, thanks to Gene Upshaw, president of the NFLPA, Owens was allowed to escape from a trade to the Baltimore Ravens and wound up with the Philadelphia Eagles.

 

Owens, a terrific talent, helped the 13-3 Eagles get over the hump last year after they had lost three straight NFC title games and reach Philadelphia’s first Super Bowl in 24 years. Owens missed the title game, however, because of a broken bone in his right ankle; but thanks to hard work and rehabbing, he was back to play in the Super Bowl against the New England Patriots.

 

Owens played great in the Super Bowl, but the Eagles still lost it on a late field goal. Owens fired his agent after he failed to file for free agency on time, eventually signing a seven-year contract with the Eagles for $49 million.

 

Last year, the Eagles paid Owens $9 million; however, this entire season Owens and his new agent Drew Rosenhaus put together a plan to force the Eagles to redo his negotiated seven-year contract. The plan failed, but the damage to the team from the plan inflicted by Owens and the alter T.O. is why his suspension was upheld. 

 

Eagles management and team President Joe Banner said they would not redo his contract and held firm from the beginning, while T.O. went about being a disruptive force, criticizing the Eagles and calling teammate Donovan McNabb a hypocrite. The last straw was when he said, “If Brett Favre was the Eagles quarterback, the team would be undefeated.”

 

Three weeks ago, Head Coach Andy Reid suspended T.O. (and Terrell Owens) for four games for a series of incidents that included public criticism of the organization and McNabb. Then, team President Banner told Owens he would be deactivated for the rest of the season.

 

The NFLPA filed a grievance that what the Eagles did to Owens was excessive. Last week, arbitrator Richard Bloch refused to overturn the Eagles’ decision to suspend Owens and then deactivate him for the rest of the season. Bloch ruled that “Philadelphia was within its rights to banish Owens due to the nature of his conduct and its destructive and continuing threat to the team.”

 

Owens is due to receive a $5 million roster bonus in March, but it is expected that the Eagles will trade or release him before that.

 

 

Fitz notes & quotes

 

Chris Mortenson of ESPN said Sunday that “Seattle punter Jeff Feagles would be playing in his record 283rd straight game, breaking the record of Hall of Fame former Vikings defensive star Jim Marshall.”

 

First of all, Marshall is not yet in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, and no way does a punter who plays maybe five or six plays a game compare with an every-down player like Marshall. Feagles should be congratulated, but an asterisk should be placed by his record.

 

While watching the NFL’s second leading receiver, Larry Fitzgerald Jr. (74 receptions for 999 yards and seven TDs), Sunday in Arizona’s 24-17 loss, I saw quarterback Byron Leftwich of Jacksonville (8-3) break his right ankle. He will miss four to six weeks.

 

The Jaguars are coached by former Vikings star Jack Del-Rio, and former Vikings Vice President Tim Connolly is now a vice president with Jacksonville. Also, former Vikings cornerback Kenny Wright starts at that position for the Jaguars.