Owens says saga was a misunderstanding
IRVING, Texas — Terrell Owens has done a lot of things to draw attention to himself the last six years. His latest turn in the spotlight is one he'd rather forget.
Swallowing a bottle full of pain killers? Attempted suicide? Depression?
No, no, no, T.O. said, calling the saga that swirled around him Wednesday a big misunderstanding.
"I want to apologize to the organization for this being a distraction," Owens said at the end of a confusing half day capped by his explanation of what happened. "This is definitely an unfortunate situation."
Owens said he expected to practice today for the first time since breaking his right hand a week ago Sunday. If all goes well, he thinks he can play for the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday in Tennessee.
Owens is listed as questionable, same as he was Tuesday afternoon, hours before an ambulance took him to an emergency room and he spent the night in a hospital.
"It was just an allergic reaction," Owens said. "It's very unfortunate for the reports to go from an allergic reaction to a definite suicide attempt."
According to Owens, he made the mistake of mixing prescription pain pills with the all-natural supplements he ordinarily takes. The combination left him woozy and his publicist, who was with him at his Dallas condo, became worried when he couldn't respond to her questions. Having also discovered an empty bottle of pills, she called 911 around 8 p.m. Tuesday.
But around 8 a.m. Wednesday, the story took a radical turn. WFAA-TV in Dallas got hold of an unreleased police report and reported that it stated a suicide attempt was called in, that Owens was described as being depressed, that 35 pills were missing and that Owens said he was trying to harm himself.
The police and fire department followed by holding news conferences that provided few answers. Questions lingered, even as Owens left the hospital flashing a thumb's up sign to reporters.
Owens made it to team headquarters in time to catch some passes from quarterbacks Drew Bledsoe and Tony Romo. He then showed up to a packed news conference wearing workout gear and his usual wide smile.
T.O. seemed more amused than peeved. He apologized for being a distraction, thanked his friends for worrying about him and said he is "not depressed by any means."
"I am very happy to be here," said Owens, who received a $25 million, three-year deal from the Cowboys in March, four days after the Eagles released him. "My thing is I have come here to help this team get on a roll, get on the track of getting into the playoffs and winning some ballgames."
Kim Etheredge, Owens' publicist, also spoke at the news conference, telling her side of the story and criticizing the police report that found its way to reporters before sections were blacked out. About half the information was obscured once it was officially released.
"I am just upset that I just feel they take advantage of Terrell," she said. "Had this been someone else, this may not have happened."
Dallas police officials declined to comment on Etheredge's denials, citing privacy laws.
There is one more domino to fall in this story: the 911 tape. The Associated Press filed a request under the Texas Public Information Act to get a recording of the call. Fire department spokesman Joel Lavender said it may not be available until Friday.
