Excuse me if I don’t go nuts hailing the Philadelphia Eagles for taking decisive action in suspending motormouth malcontent WR Terrell Owens. For one thing, Owens’ only offense isn’t a sex crime, violent act or lack of production. They’re sitting him for being a jerk. Which is hardly something that began with his arrival in Philly.
I realize that former players like those below love to see guys who threaten to holdout and/or go half speed taken down a notch or two, but I’d be more impressed if ESPN interviewed some of T.O.’s peers. What do Joe Horn or Javon Walker make of all this?
from ESPN.com, Joe Theisman on T.O. :
The biggest question is still left to be answered, and that’s what happens to T.O. after this? Precedent was set by Jon Gruden when he let Keyshawn Johnson leave the team when he wouldn’t accept the team concept. The next season, Johnson was with the Dallas Cowboys and his old coach Bill Parcells. I’m not sure who would want Owens, though. He’s thrown Jeff Garcia under the bus and waited for the buses to line up to pick up kids to throw McNabb under them. If I was a quarterback and he became my teammate, I’d look out for buses because nothing has changed.
Sean Salisbury weighed in with the following,
Owens isn’t just a cancer, he’s a terminal cancer in a locker room. He has the maturity of a 7-year-old and it looks like he’ll never mature. I used to think he was worth the trouble, but he’s proven me wrong as he went from punking his teammates to punking the organization. He’s the ultimate I-guy in a game that is the ultimate we-sport.
If for no other reason than Owens representing such a stark challenge to Salisbury’s sensibilities, I’m rooting for him to return…and do another deodorant commercial with Bam Magera. The Eagles, however, should’ve known what they were getting themselves into, and if T.O.’s tiresome routine has been a massive distraction, why aren’t these commentators taking Jeffrey Lurie, Andy Reid or Tom Heckert to task as well?