tk13
08-14-2005, 04:11 AM
http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/sports/12378353.htm
NFL should tell T.O. his act won’t play here
JASON WHITLOCK
Kansas City Star
A couple of weeks ago, Jerome Stanley, a respected NFL and NBA agent, called me just to say I was foolish for supporting Terrell Owens.
“I thought you were smarter than that, Jason,” said Stanley, the rep for my least-favorite NFL player, Keyshawn Johnson.
Last week, a representative of the NFL players’ association told me that he’d lost respect for Owens when the Philly receiver started criticizing Donovan McNabb.
“You don’t go after your quarterback, Jason,” the NFLPA rep said.
Friday night, at halftime of the Chiefs-Vikings exhibition game, I chatted with former league MVP Rich Gannon.
“You can’t have a guy like that on your team,” Gannon said of Owens.
I give up. Generally speaking, I can defend just about anything. I don’t give up on my positions easily. Take for instance, Jeff George. The Chicago Bears lost their starting quarterback, Rex Grossman, because of a broken ankle Friday night. You and I both know the Bears should sign George if they want to make a playoff run this season.
I can’t defend Terrell Owens anymore. He lost me last week when he shot basketball, pumped iron and did sit-ups in his driveway while TV cameras recorded all the action. He lost me with his continued attacks on McNabb.
Terrell Owens has gone too far.
He has every right to demand a new contract. His performance in last season’s Super Bowl was remarkable. Players with half his talent own contracts twice as lucrative as the one T.O. signed with the Eagles a year ago.
Owens is better than Marvin Harrison, the Indianapolis receiver who inked a deal with more than $20 million guaranteed. Owens received $9 million to sign with the Eagles. Yes, he foolishly agreed to the deal. He picked the wrong agent.
But I support T.O.’s right to try to finagle a new deal. NFL management demands pay cuts, so why can’t the players demand pay raises?
It’s just that I never imagined that Owens and his agent, Drew Rosenhaus, would look this sleazy and this silly going about getting one. I assumed they’d be somewhat savvy about it.
Instead, they’ve alienated the entire National Football League. McNabb, one of the league’s most popular players and someone who campaigned for T.O. to join the Eagles, has been damaged by Owens’ immaturity.
T.O. thinks he’s Rambo, capable of taking on the whole league.
It won’t work.
He’s moving into a dangerous area. You could make an argument that NFL owners would be wise to squash Owens and send a message to the rest of the players. If Owens’ theatrics work, if his media blitz and attack on McNabb lead to the Eagles trading him to the Atlanta Falcons, every player dissatisfied with his contract will go the T.O. route.
The NFL should blackball Owens. Run him out.
More and more NFL players are complaining about the control the league has over the expression of individuality. The players don’t understand that that control is one of the main reasons the league is so popular as a television force.
If the league shuts down Owens, it might shut up the rest of the whiners. At some point, the Eagles are going to make an aggressive move against Owens and claim that he breached his contract. If things don’t improve after T.O.’s one-week suspension, the Eagles are going to try to get rid of him and get back a significant piece of the signing bonus they handed Owens.
When (if) that happens, the key will be what other NFL owners do. T.O. can’t bounce to another team and land a fat contract. Owens can’t become the new Dennis Rodman. If T.O. gets traded and/or lands a better contract, the whole league will live to regret it.
NFL should tell T.O. his act won’t play here
JASON WHITLOCK
Kansas City Star
A couple of weeks ago, Jerome Stanley, a respected NFL and NBA agent, called me just to say I was foolish for supporting Terrell Owens.
“I thought you were smarter than that, Jason,” said Stanley, the rep for my least-favorite NFL player, Keyshawn Johnson.
Last week, a representative of the NFL players’ association told me that he’d lost respect for Owens when the Philly receiver started criticizing Donovan McNabb.
“You don’t go after your quarterback, Jason,” the NFLPA rep said.
Friday night, at halftime of the Chiefs-Vikings exhibition game, I chatted with former league MVP Rich Gannon.
“You can’t have a guy like that on your team,” Gannon said of Owens.
I give up. Generally speaking, I can defend just about anything. I don’t give up on my positions easily. Take for instance, Jeff George. The Chicago Bears lost their starting quarterback, Rex Grossman, because of a broken ankle Friday night. You and I both know the Bears should sign George if they want to make a playoff run this season.
I can’t defend Terrell Owens anymore. He lost me last week when he shot basketball, pumped iron and did sit-ups in his driveway while TV cameras recorded all the action. He lost me with his continued attacks on McNabb.
Terrell Owens has gone too far.
He has every right to demand a new contract. His performance in last season’s Super Bowl was remarkable. Players with half his talent own contracts twice as lucrative as the one T.O. signed with the Eagles a year ago.
Owens is better than Marvin Harrison, the Indianapolis receiver who inked a deal with more than $20 million guaranteed. Owens received $9 million to sign with the Eagles. Yes, he foolishly agreed to the deal. He picked the wrong agent.
But I support T.O.’s right to try to finagle a new deal. NFL management demands pay cuts, so why can’t the players demand pay raises?
It’s just that I never imagined that Owens and his agent, Drew Rosenhaus, would look this sleazy and this silly going about getting one. I assumed they’d be somewhat savvy about it.
Instead, they’ve alienated the entire National Football League. McNabb, one of the league’s most popular players and someone who campaigned for T.O. to join the Eagles, has been damaged by Owens’ immaturity.
T.O. thinks he’s Rambo, capable of taking on the whole league.
It won’t work.
He’s moving into a dangerous area. You could make an argument that NFL owners would be wise to squash Owens and send a message to the rest of the players. If Owens’ theatrics work, if his media blitz and attack on McNabb lead to the Eagles trading him to the Atlanta Falcons, every player dissatisfied with his contract will go the T.O. route.
The NFL should blackball Owens. Run him out.
More and more NFL players are complaining about the control the league has over the expression of individuality. The players don’t understand that that control is one of the main reasons the league is so popular as a television force.
If the league shuts down Owens, it might shut up the rest of the whiners. At some point, the Eagles are going to make an aggressive move against Owens and claim that he breached his contract. If things don’t improve after T.O.’s one-week suspension, the Eagles are going to try to get rid of him and get back a significant piece of the signing bonus they handed Owens.
When (if) that happens, the key will be what other NFL owners do. T.O. can’t bounce to another team and land a fat contract. Owens can’t become the new Dennis Rodman. If T.O. gets traded and/or lands a better contract, the whole league will live to regret it.