Terrell Owens on Public Apologies

On November 8, 2005, Terrell Owens made a public apology to the world. He included in this apology Andy Reid, Head Coach of the Eagles football team, Donovan McNabb, leading quarterback, the president and owner of the Philadelphia Eagles, and the fans who have so desperately been watching as their world of football has been turned upside down. One year ago, Owens was "The Man of the Hour”. He owned the media and the fans it produced, with coverage from his exhilarating performance of athletic ability to the “shows” he exhibited after his incredible, game-winning touchdowns. This year, however, is one hundred and ten percent the opposite. No more do those dedicated Eagles fans chant the song that was sung in every bar by every one of T.O.’s followers when he made those winning plays. No more will they forget that there is no “I” in “team”. And no more will T.O. ever be recognized as a member of the Philadelphia Eagles.

For the last year, anyone who watches football, or even follows sports at all knows about the T.O. ‘problem’. After the Super Bowl last year, T.O. made a crude remark about how his team had basically “gotten tired” during the big game. He never dropped any names, but it was understood by everyone that he was speaking mainly about Donovan McNabb. From then on, it was war. Back and forth, all summer long, McNabb and Owens shared their true feelings about the situations at hand. Soon after this, Owens turned over to a new agent, then asking for more money in his contract with the Philadelphia Eagles, believing that because he was such an important part of the team, he should receive more money, and also stating that he needed to “feed his family” Eagles personnel did not feel the same way, so the battle continued. Commercials on ESPN like “The Days of our Lives” by Donovan McNabb were introduced during interviews and such, and the media coverage was unbelievable. Everyone knew it was the start of something bigger yet to come. And soon it did.

On November 3, 2005, in an interview with ESPN’s Graham Bensinger, Owens “took shots” at the Eagles’ franchise for not acknowledging his 100th touchdown, and suggested that the Eagles would be better off with Packers’ Quarterback Brett Favre instead of their own, Donovan McNabb. That was the last straw. After a suspension that came about a week earlier because of a confrontation with Andy Reid, his career with the Philadelphia Eagles had come to a bitter end. Reid, along with many others, decided that they no longer wanted Owens as a part of their team. Seemingly enough, Owens made the public apology with his agent right by his side. But who says he had to apologize? What is it about our society today that makes one feel that they have to say the words “I’m sorry”, even if they don’t mean it? Owens, in his public apology, was clearly doing it for one reason only; everyone hated him, he knew it, and he believed the only way to make it better was to apologize. Yet a few months earlier, in that interview with Bensinger, he said “I have no reason to be sorry for the interview after the Super Bowl. I did not say McNabb individually, so if people want to think that is what I meant, then go ahead. If I was talking about McNabb personally, I would have said McNabb‘s name.”(Owens). However, in his later apology to the world, after he made all the remarks about the Eagles as a whole, he stood up in front of the entire nation, and made his apology. The question of “Why?“ is still on everyone’s mind. But for now, “You are not fooling anyone Owens. Not even me!”