NOW He’s Sorry…
How pathetic is Terrell Owens? The day after Philadelphia basically told him his services were no longer needed, he comes out and publicly apologizes in the most blatantly insincere press moment since Bill Clinton shook his finger and said, “I DID NOT have sex with that woman“. His agent doesn’t even try to hide it:
A contrite Terrell Owens, hoping to overturn his dismissal from the Philadelphia Eagles, on Tuesday apologized to coach Andy Reid, quarterback Donovan McNabb, the team’s owner and president, and fans.“I fight for what I think is right. In doing so, I alienated a lot of my fans and my teammates,” Owens said, reading a statement outside his house outside Philadelphia.
His agent, Drew Rosenhaus, said Owens was making a public apology in hopes of returning to the Eagles immediately.
Notice: not because he was genuinely ‘contrite’, but because he wants to return to the team…cue violins and bring me a tissue…
UPDATE 3:06 p.m.: The Eagles aren’t biting…good for them…
If fans really want to make a statement…
The next time Owens takes to the field, refuse to attend the game, if you have tickets.
NFL will figure it out from there.
To be honest though, they already have figured it out. NFL players union should never be confused with the MLB version.
Did he actually apologize, or did his agent (and the headline) just claim that he had done so? There’s nothing in what is quoted that actually sounds ‘contrite’ or apologetic.
The guy is throwing away tens of millions of dollars, as well as the adulation of his screaming fans, because he can’t get over his own enormous ego.
Clint, I don’t have a transcript, but this is from the ESPN piece: Owens apologized specifically to Reid, McNabb, Eagles president Joe Banner, owner Jeffrey Lurie and to fans.
To McNabb, Owens said, “I apologize to him for any comments that may have been negative.”
Hmm..
I suppose that scrapes by. I’m personally of the school that “I apologize” is a statement that still needs to be backed up with an actual expression of contrition, ala “I screwed up.” or “I’m sorry that…” or “I wish I hadn’t done/said that.” But it’s much better than “I fight for what I think is right.”
Well, to quote Ron Ziegler, Nixon’s press secretary: “contrition is bullsh**”
I’m always darkly amused by the “I’m sorry if I offended anyone” style of apology. I guess that sounds nicer than coming out and saying, “I’m sorry you’re all a bunch of whiny losers and the only reason I’m apologizing is to shut you up.”
Owens, Owens, Owens. The town was his for the taking. How dumb can you be to blow a deal like that? Think of the money he could have made on endorsements if he didn’t start bitching about his contract.
Well, at the very least, I’m sure you can get a good deal on No. 81 jerseys from the Eagles’ store these days.
Even without endorsements — it was a $50 million contract for seven years — he just (expletive)ed away six sevenths of that (roughly $42 million). Before endorsements.
it’s nice to be able to root for the Iggles again — I like McNabb and Westbrook but made it a point to hope they lose since the Twerp came.
$6-7 mill/yr isn’t enough? Fine, have fun at Team McDonald’s or Team WalMart, whiner.
Such a shame — the guy is such a talented receiver and has been a difference-maker.
Bravo, Clint — I too have always hated the “if anyone is offended” BS….
the following is an excerpt from a usatoday interview.
it is not just about T.O.
read what the interviewer says about his own in the first few paragraphs.
Source: NewsStand
Young journalist put off by editing of T.O. interview
USA TODAY
Michael Hiestand
Graham Bensinger sat down last week with Terrell Owens for an interview that led to what now seems like an end to the wide receiver’s days as a Philadelphia Eagle.
In reporting originally intended just for ESPN.com, Owens made news with his negative comments about his team. But Bensinger says it’s “unfortunate” that ESPN’s SportsCenter, picking up the story, chose to air only four newsy minutes of an hourlong interview. But then, he says, “that’s to be expected in the media.”
Bensinger is learning. Which is totally appropriate, given he’s a college freshman at Syracuse.
Bensinger, 19, had a sort of 21st-century media launch pad that began back in the 20th century. Having built his own website in fifth grade to sell baseball cards, he created his own Internet radio show in eighth grade without any particular adult prompting — he says his father, a financial adviser, “hates” sports — and by simply writing to retired baseball players and asking them to come on his homemade media outlet.
By his junior year in high school, he had a two-hour Saturday show on local St.Louis radio. Owens had been on the show a half-dozen times before last week’s interview. And last year, Bensinger landed a rare interview with O.J. Simpson.
Bensinger concedes it was helpful that he’d been in second grade when Simpson was on trial. “He gave me an interview, without a doubt, because he saw a young aspiring journalist,” says Bensinger, who got a follow-up interview with Simpson that aired on ESPN. “Age was a definite advantage.”
Bensinger, who now has a local radio show in Syracuse as he takes introductory communication courses, archived his radio shows on his thegbshow.com — which includes photos of Bensinger with famous sports figures.
Bensinger began his now-famous Owens interview by asking, “Are you happy?”
Youth, suggests ESPN New Media senior vice president John Papanek, is not being wasted on this teenager: “He’s been able to establish relationships with lots of A-list athletes because of his youth and unthreatening nature.”
CARNIVAL OF THE CLUELESS #21
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