Little kids will do all kinds of crap they know is wrong then promise to never do it again when you catch them.  That is exactly what has happened with Terrell Owens did yesterday.  He orchestrated a media circus all year to get a) more attention, b) more money, and c) more attention. Now that he’s been grounded he’s more than willing to promise anything to get to go outside and play again.  Even his agent/best friend is promising that he’s really a good boy; he just acted out one time.

The Eagles went into business with Owens knowing full well what they were getting.  They thought, like any foster parent, that they could help him change his ways.  And hats off to them for trying to do that. Everybody deserves a second chance in life, no matter what you did for your last employer.  But now we know that the way he behaved at his first job, is the way that he will behave at all of his jobs.  If he’s back on the field at any point this year he’s going to cause problems for the team.  

The Players Union can protest all they want, and they get paid to do that, so they should be protesting long and loud; but it shouldn’t make a difference.  The Eagles organization gave Owens more than one chance to do the right thing, and one would have to think that they documented their efforts very well.  It also stands to reason that his actions are well documented.  The Union has a point that other players (see Jamal Lewis) have committed real crimes and not been penalized this harshly.  What they are not saying is that this is a amp-up repeat of Keysaun and the Bucs from last year.

And like last year, Owens will have a job catching for someone else next year.  His pay will be lower, and as long as they are winning his mouth will stay shut.

Until then, let’s all applaud the Eagles for placing the integrity of the team above winning.  Because they have pretty much given up on winning the Super Bowl this year by putting Owens out to pasture.  They only had the slimmest of chances with him, so giving in to his antics was of limited value.  The organization took a stand, and can now get back on track with the rest of the TEAM.