PHILADELPHIA – Terrell Owens, kicked off the Eagles for refusing a couple of formal requests to apologize to Donovan McNabb, among other issues, said in the January 2006 Penthouse Magazine that he considers the quarterback “a friend.”
That might be because Owens also explained he met the woman he’s engaged to – Felisha Victoria Terrell – on a trip to Arizona to train with McNabb.
Hard to believe it all came crashing down, eh?
The bizarre and obviously dated revelations came after Dave Hollander of Penthouse asked Owens whom he considered his best friends in the NFL.
“Best friends?” Owens answered rhetorically. “On the Eagles or the whole NFL? I mean, there’s a number of guys I’m friends with, from Takeo Spikes (Bills linebacker) to Carlos Emmons (Giants linebacker). As odd as this may seem, I consider Donovan a friend.
“I consider myself a friend to a number of guys so I don’t want anybody to be offended if I don’t mention their name. I’m a good teammate to everybody. I feel like, if you dislike me, there’s something wrong with you. It’s discouraging and kind of mind-boggling to hear people say I’m a bad teammate and selfish when all the things I’ve done have been to help the team.”
Owens and agent Drew Rosenhaus could not be reached for comment.
Owens completed a four-game suspension without pay for conduct detrimental to the team Sunday. His grievance seeking to overturn the discipline was denied by arbitrator Richard Bloch, who cited the player’s refusal to mend his ways with McNabb after asked to do so by Andy Reid among the reasons for upholding the order. Bloch also agreed it was OK for the Eagles to tell Owens to stay away for the final five games of the season. Starting this Monday against the Seattle Seahawks, Owens will be scratched in five straight games.
The suspension cost Owens $764,705 – four-seventeenths of his $3.25 million base pay. The Eagles can recoup a $1.72 million signing bonus by withholding money from his last five paychecks. They quietly plan to cut him before a $5 million roster bonus is due in March.
If you’re wondering what Owens’ next move might be, the workout fanatic told Penthouse he probably would “get into modeling” if he couldn’t play football.
“I feel like I’m a nice-looking guy,” Owens told Penthouse. “I’m good on the eyes.”
Owens said he met fiancé Terrell, who at the time was a cheerleader for the Phoenix Suns, outside a shopping mall in Arizona. McNabb annually invites teammates to workout with him near his home in the Phoenix area.
“What was so funny,” Owens told Penthouse, “is that she pronounces her last name ‘Tuh-RELL,’ the way people mispronounce my last name.”
Owens told the magazine the two were engaged this past September.Owens appeared to be in character when asked why none of the teams he’s played on had won a championship on any level.
“I honestly feel like a lot of people should listen to what I say when it comes to making plays on the field,” Owens told Penthouse. “I feel I can take over a game. Look at the Super Bowl I played in. Even though I came off a career-threatening injury, I did damage. And I could have done more damage had (McNabb) come to me in certain situations. That could have the difference in the game. I’m not saying that to be selfish, but I think there’s a number of people that agree.”