Apocolypse sign #458

[vtbub]

Stephen A. Smith makes sense:






Posted on Sun, Aug. 14, 2005


Stephen A. Smith | No longer any reason to cut T.O. some slack

By Stephen A. Smith
Inquirer Columnist

He had me until the sit-ups.

Before that spectacle at his home on Wednesday afternoon - and it can be described as nothing else - Terrell Owens had a case.

There was a $48,724,000 contract. There were legitimate concerns about whether the Eagles would honor it entirely. There was a system that appears far from player-friendly. And a birth certificate that mandates that he look out for his self-interest.

But after that fiasco at his home in Moorestown, which would give any circus a run for its money, Owens has become a caricature of himself. The situation has surpassed embarrassing. So much so that regardless of his case, its merits or any genuine passion behind it, his actions simply cannot be defended any longer.

A player can't be defended when he tells his offensive coordinator not to speak to him unless he's spoken to. No player can be defended when he continues to take one jab after another at a teammate who has said nothing about him, especially when that teammate happens to be Donovan McNabb, the star.

Such flagrant insubordination, disrespect and defiance can never be tolerated - even if Eagles coach Andy Reid told Owens to shut up, as Owens claimed Reid did.

Reid and the Eagles' organization would be absolute fools to tolerate any more of this nonsense.

And the rest of us would be fools to grant Owens the benefit of the doubt any longer.

Myself included.

While a city strapped itself to the Eagles' cause, spewing venom in Owens' direction because of his contract squabbles and the egregious manner in which he allowed his agent, Drew Rosenhaus, to handle things, I never saw much of a problem.

What I saw was Owens' 1,200 yards and 14 touchdowns; the infusion of some personality that the Eagles desperately needed; and McNabb's 3,875-yard output, along with 31 TD passes, last season.

Owens has a seven-year deal. His talent screams that he's worth every penny of the $48.7 million and then some. And because a collective-bargaining agreement allows the Eagles to go to a player to cut his salary or waive any long-term obligations, I see no problem with a player's attempting to revisit his contractual situation if he performs up to par.

Particularly when the alternative is Greg Lewis and some no-name who may not even end up being better than Todd Pinkston.

But taking into account Owens' petulance and insubordination and then his pleas for sympathy - with Rosenhaus literally holding his hand - the situation is downright sickening, no longer capable of being stomached.

If Owens was so insulted, so frustrated by Reid's telling him to shut up, why didn't he just leave training camp, go away and vent his frustration, after getting the week off?

Why did he go home and entertain a media contingent he had spent a week ignoring?

Why did he shoot basketballs, lift weights, and do sit-ups in his yard to entertain the reporters?

Where was the frustration? The anger? The look that's on the faces of most people who have been "disrespected," as Owens has continuously claimed to have been over the last few weeks?

I didn't see that on Wednesday when he was talking to the media. I saw too much of it on Thursday while he was sitting side-by-side with Rosenhaus, getting interviewed by everyone but Barbara Walters.

Meanwhile, the one person displaying class in this whole ordeal ends up being the one person insulted by Owens the most.

"I still, to this day, see no reason for us to talk," McNabb said, responding to Owens' saying he had no desire to speak to the quarterback. "When we step on this field, it's all about business. We're professionals that line up and do the right thing."

The right thing for Owens still could have had everything to do with pursuing a new contract. He could have stayed unhappy, let it be known, maintained his rift with McNabb and a few others, and simply gone about his business.

Instead, he keeps going too far. He even claims now that he signed a secret waiver to play in the Super Bowl - a claim the Eagles categorically deny. He signs autographs for kids when the cameras are away after refusing for days to sign them when the cameras were rolling.

The situation has surpassed ridiculous purely because Owens appears to have no clue about how ridiculous he looks.

"I'm a good teammate," he said. "Just because I don't speak to a couple of guys doesn't mean anything. I have no desire to speak to [McNabb]."

Well, that's smart - a receiver has no desire to develop chemistry with the guy assigned to throw him the ball.

Brilliant! Now let's see if it gets him a new contract.

Sadly, we know it won't happen. At least not to Owens' liking.

It's time to dismiss this case.
Contact Stephen A. Smith at 215-854-5846 or [email protected].



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[dubb93]

So....who is gonna call him up?