Terrell Owens FACT OR FICTION

It has been reported that Terrell Owens may have been attempting suicide through an overdose of pain medication last night. A report by the Dallas police - not meant for public consumption but rather a private, internal document - said as much.

It was interesting how quickly Owens put himself in front of the Dallas press to answer questions about this. Just as interesting was that he apparently went through a workout on Wednesday. If the guy's right hand was hurting to the point where he was taking substantial amounts of pain medicine - in this case a generic form of Vicodin called Hydrocodone - I just don't know how it could have been his intention to go through a football workout the next day.

I have taken Hydrocodone before, and the last thing the doctor would have told me was to physically exert myself.

The workout seems a little "cosmetic" to me.

Something's a little strange in CowboyLand, like they're spinning it just to overcompensate for a story that almost wound up tragic.

Not that these cops are 100% accurate in their reports; in fact, if you follow some of the more high-profile cases that are covered in the news, far from it. But I hardly think they would make up a story of attempted suicide out of thin air. There had to be some substance to it; some reason for them to have come to a conditional conclusion.

One of the publicists said, "There are 25 million reasons he should be alive," obviously referring to Owens' $25 million contract with the Cowboys.

I wouldn't use that as an exhibit. Anybody ever heard of Marilyn Monroe?

Why would he do it? Why would he be depressed? I don't know - maybe someone told him he might not be playing against the Eagles.

Seriously, folks......

The pertinent thing for us is how this might affect the game for the Cowboys on Sunday as they face the Tennessee Titans. We'll find out soon enough about Owens' status, because we have heard time and time again from Bill Parcells, in so many words, that if Owens doesn't practice, he won't play, and if he practiced, he would play. Well, he practiced on Wednesday, sort of. If he doesn't suit up and play in Nashville, we can pretty much conclude it was for show and not for dough.

Or is the entire episode just for "show"? In this "Look at Me" era when certain athletes are dedicated to diverting the attention to themselves, to the exception of the team or the game itself, we just don't know.

But I can tell you this much - the fact that we're even asking those questions, and that they are legitimate, is kind of a sad commentary on the sporting landscape..

Almost as sad as a suicide attempt.
Charles Jay