Circus act
Terrell Owens talks: His news conference
In the surreal, drama-filled, controversial career of Terrell Owens, Wednesday goes down as the most bizarre day of them all.
Which, all things considered, is a good thing, because based on initial reports, it could have been worse.
At least Owens didn't commit suicide, as the Dallas police believed he was attempting Tuesday evening when he took too many painkillers. At least he didn't accidentally die, or harm himself. For that, there is some good out of this.
Other than that, it's another circus surrounding Owens. More questions, more debate, more ridiculousness.
An initial report from the Dallas police claimed Owens tried to attempt suicide – "(Owens) was asked if he was attempting to harm himself, at which time (Owens) stated, ‘yes,'" the report said.
Owens countered that he just had an allergic reaction from taking too many painkillers and was so out of it that he doesn't even remember telling the police such a thing.
Owens' publicist, Kim Etheredge, who made the 911 call Tuesday, said that she never, as the police document states, told officers that "(Owens) was depressed" or "took (pills) out of his mouth." She went so far as to claim the Dallas P.D. was "(taking) advantage of Terrell."
Then there are national suicide experts who said that if Owens had attempted suicide it would have been quite common for him to deny it.
"(It is common), especially when a person's job is on the line," said Dr. Dan Reidenberg, executive director of SAVE, a national suicide prevention group. "There is a huge stigma around suicide and attempted suicide, particularly among pro athletes and celebrities.
"They are so afraid of people seeing (the real) them. So they will retract it."
Maybe an exacerbated Bill Parcells said it best: "I need to find out what the hell is going on."
Good luck, Tuna.
Scenarios abound, but here are my three best speculations.
1. The Dallas P.D. is correct and what is going on now is a most frightening cover-up, led by glad-handlers who would rather downplay potential mental health red-flags to assure Owens keeps on earning.
2. Either the Dallas P.D. misjudged the situation, or the media read too far into what is a just rough preliminary report, causing Owens to be put the middle of a maelstrom he didn't deserve.
3. Etheredge overreacted (probably innocently), led authorities to believe it might be a suicide attempt – which it wasn't – and now is covering her and her client's tracks because the last thing they want is people thinking Owens might be suffering from depression. This is the scenario I am leaning toward believing.
I'd like to think none of these are true, and I'd like to have more details, but at this point what is fact is: something happened Tuesday. The worst case is No. 1, because if Owens is suicidal and surrounded by yes-people who will assist him in ignoring a growing number of warnings, then something really bad is going to happen without expert help.
"Terrell has $25 million reasons to be alive," said Etheredge, which, of course, is ignorant of the reality of depression.
"Depression is a purely democratic mental disorder, it affects all social statuses, all incomes, all levels of success," said Dr. Lenny Berman, Ph. D., executive director of the American Association of Suicidology in Washington, D.C.
"We don't think a big, strong sports star that has fame and fortune is going to take his life," said Dr. Reidenberg. "Look at Terry Bradshaw, though. He struggled with depression and suicide for all his life. He talks about it, he's written about it.
"In society we see famous celebrities beyond taking their own life. The reality is they are just as human as we are."
One thing about Owens is he is painfully human, his foibles always on display for all to see. It has made some love him, some loathe him. His career has been a series of slowly escalating escapades and encounters, the previous peak being his sit-up routine/"next question" press conference at his south New Jersey home last summer.
But that was nothing compared to this mess.
Even if Owens was an innocent victim of a grand misunderstanding, this has to give the Dallas Cowboys pause.
If we go by body language Wednesday, Owens didn't look like he hurt himself. However, Parcells' made it look like he wanted to hurt someone.
Parcells' testy press conference was likely no accident. He was able to dodge all questions by saying he knew nothing. But if he had wanted to know something, he could have delayed the press conference by five minutes and called Owens to find out.
That he didn't is telling. That he looked like he didn't care, says even more.
And so no matter what the facts are here – and we may never know – this is the reality with T.O. If it isn't one thing with this guy, it’s another. And at some stage, this is what you get when you take him on.
You get a loose-cannon publicist accusing police. You get major drama. You get complicated questions. You get a hyper-ventilating media. You get an insatiable national interest when something (even if it is nothing) eventually blows up.
And you get a frustrated coach and baffled teammates.
How many touchdowns is that worth?
