WoodysGirl
07-18-2006, 09:17 PM
More on T.O. and HBO
Here's additional snippets from the HBO Real Sports interview of Mr. Terrell Owens as conducted by Bryant Gumbel. It's scheduled to air tonight.
BG: Two years ago, just two years ago, maybe three, you wrote an autobiography. Terrell why do you constantly have to have books to explain who you are?
TO: Because I find myself not being in the right situation to try to constantly go through the media to try to explain who I am.
BG: What are you telling me? You're just a misunderstood quiet, shy guy?
TO: I am misunderstood.
BG: Page 55 (of your book), you put, "I am not a selfish player." If that's so, how come you're the poster boy, in a lot of people's mind, for the selfish athlete?
TO: Selfish in what manner?
BG: I would say that the average fan looks to some complaints you've had about not getting the ball, some complaints you've had about being fairly compensated, and come away with the overall impression that you're selfish.
TO: But I'm not the only receiver that has complained about not getting the ball.
BG: Why would the media, in unison, make a coordinated effort to make life miserable for Terrell Owens?
TO: I'm not saying it's a coordinated effort. But it’s a way to gain viewer's attention.
BG: I understand that. But if that's the case, they could gain viewer's attention by speaking ill of Marvin Harrison, or Hines Ward. Why would they pick on you?
TO: Who knows? That’s the million dollar question. Why me?
BG: There seems to me a disconnect between what you feel and what you say sometimes. You say, "All those people hate, la-da-da-da-da-da-da. And, I don't care."
TO: I do care. (LAUGHTER) At some point it does get to me. And I can't say it enough. Dude I'm human. And that's what I'm trying to get people to understand.
BG: Of Donovan, (McNabb) you started off by saying you loved him. Called him "One of the most likeable guys I've ever met."
TO: Still believe that.
BG: Did he change?
TO: I think so.
Voice Over: Although it’s his 05 season that became a nightmare, Owens claims his relationship with McNabb actually began to sour back during their Super Bowl season, in a game against the Giants…when he says McNabb went away from a play that was called.
BG: Donovan didn't throw it to you?
TO: Right. I just said, "Dude." I said, "You missed me."
BG: What did he say?
TO: He said, "Shut the F—up.”
BG: Page 48 you say, "He had no right to talk to me like that." I think most people would say, "Hey, it's not that big a deal. Why not? It’s under stress in the heat of battle. So what? Let it go."
TO: Okay. I understand. But, when I tried to address that after the game, he blew me off. So, that let me know it's more than just being competitive. It was more than that.
BG: You say bluntly “the problem was that I was becoming the new favorite son of Philadelphia." And then on page 51, “For whatever reason, he wasn't the same guy towards me and some of my teammates noticed. The only thing I could think of was that he disliked all of the credit I was getting on his team."
TO: I couldn't have said it any better.
BG: Was he jealous?
TO: That’s the only thing I could really come up and say.
BG: You strike me as a guy who is sensitive to what other people say think about you.
TO: Right.
BG: I'm wondering why then you are not more sensitive to the feelings of others, when you say things about them. There seems to be a disconnect there.
TO: I don't know. The only thing I can really think of is maybe it was the way I grew up, you know. I got picked on so much, and it's like I feel like I'm still constantly being picked on.
BG: In the end, do you think (Eagles coach Andy Reid) basically made a choice of Donovan over you?
TO: Yeah.
BG: Man to man are you disappointed in Donovan?
TO: I am. He may be disappointed in me as well.
BG: Terrell, is Dallas your last chance?
TO: I can't say that it is. I'm just taking advantage of the opportunity that I had before me. I can't look past that.
BG: I've been quoting you throughout this interview. Let me quote Bill Parcells if I could, your new coach. He says, "Anything specifically intended to draw attention to you as an individual, I am against it and I don't want you on my team." So, how does a sharpie wielding, pom-pom waving exuberant wide receiver sit with that?
TO: I still gotta go out and do what's best for the Cowboys.
BG: What about doing what's best for TO?
TO: They go hand in hand.
BG: Do they?
TO: I don't think we're gonna have any problems. You're diggin' into it way more than what that quote is saying. I honestly don't.
BG: When you say, "Things are gonna be different," you know they're saying, "Well, I've heard that before."
TO: Well, like I said, people can change.
BG: But TO, (Drew Bledsoe) sits there and says, "Geez, his last two quarterbacks, the relationships ended badly. Is that just a coincidence?"
TO: It could be.
BG: Come on. You know, wait, wait, wait, what do you mean it could be?
TO: Why couldn't it be?
BG: You can't name me another outstanding receiver, who's got that kind of track record with his quarterbacks. Can you?
TO: There's only two incidents.
BG: It's the only two you got.
TO: That first situation with Jeff (Garcia) and I, yeah, probably a little bit, yeah, I can take the blame for that. But, this one, I'm not gonna take all the blame for that. I'm not, and I will not.
BG: You like Terrell Owens. Do you like TO?
TO: I gotta love him. You gotta love him. A lot of fans love him.
BG: However, comma.
TO: You can't have one without the other.
Posted by Barry Horn (http://www.dallasnews.com/blogs/sportssay/emailbloggers.htm?contact=Barry) http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/img/standing/icons/email.gif (http://www.dallasnews.com/blogs/sportssay/emailbloggers.htm?contact=Barry) at 4:07 PM (http://sportssay.beloblog.com/archives/2006/07/more_on_to_and.html) (E-mail this entry) (http://sportssay.beloblog.com/archives/2006/07/more_on_to_and.html)
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Just watched it on HBO, McNabb and the Eagles declined to respond.
Here's additional snippets from the HBO Real Sports interview of Mr. Terrell Owens as conducted by Bryant Gumbel. It's scheduled to air tonight.
BG: Two years ago, just two years ago, maybe three, you wrote an autobiography. Terrell why do you constantly have to have books to explain who you are?
TO: Because I find myself not being in the right situation to try to constantly go through the media to try to explain who I am.
BG: What are you telling me? You're just a misunderstood quiet, shy guy?
TO: I am misunderstood.
BG: Page 55 (of your book), you put, "I am not a selfish player." If that's so, how come you're the poster boy, in a lot of people's mind, for the selfish athlete?
TO: Selfish in what manner?
BG: I would say that the average fan looks to some complaints you've had about not getting the ball, some complaints you've had about being fairly compensated, and come away with the overall impression that you're selfish.
TO: But I'm not the only receiver that has complained about not getting the ball.
BG: Why would the media, in unison, make a coordinated effort to make life miserable for Terrell Owens?
TO: I'm not saying it's a coordinated effort. But it’s a way to gain viewer's attention.
BG: I understand that. But if that's the case, they could gain viewer's attention by speaking ill of Marvin Harrison, or Hines Ward. Why would they pick on you?
TO: Who knows? That’s the million dollar question. Why me?
BG: There seems to me a disconnect between what you feel and what you say sometimes. You say, "All those people hate, la-da-da-da-da-da-da. And, I don't care."
TO: I do care. (LAUGHTER) At some point it does get to me. And I can't say it enough. Dude I'm human. And that's what I'm trying to get people to understand.
BG: Of Donovan, (McNabb) you started off by saying you loved him. Called him "One of the most likeable guys I've ever met."
TO: Still believe that.
BG: Did he change?
TO: I think so.
Voice Over: Although it’s his 05 season that became a nightmare, Owens claims his relationship with McNabb actually began to sour back during their Super Bowl season, in a game against the Giants…when he says McNabb went away from a play that was called.
BG: Donovan didn't throw it to you?
TO: Right. I just said, "Dude." I said, "You missed me."
BG: What did he say?
TO: He said, "Shut the F—up.”
BG: Page 48 you say, "He had no right to talk to me like that." I think most people would say, "Hey, it's not that big a deal. Why not? It’s under stress in the heat of battle. So what? Let it go."
TO: Okay. I understand. But, when I tried to address that after the game, he blew me off. So, that let me know it's more than just being competitive. It was more than that.
BG: You say bluntly “the problem was that I was becoming the new favorite son of Philadelphia." And then on page 51, “For whatever reason, he wasn't the same guy towards me and some of my teammates noticed. The only thing I could think of was that he disliked all of the credit I was getting on his team."
TO: I couldn't have said it any better.
BG: Was he jealous?
TO: That’s the only thing I could really come up and say.
BG: You strike me as a guy who is sensitive to what other people say think about you.
TO: Right.
BG: I'm wondering why then you are not more sensitive to the feelings of others, when you say things about them. There seems to be a disconnect there.
TO: I don't know. The only thing I can really think of is maybe it was the way I grew up, you know. I got picked on so much, and it's like I feel like I'm still constantly being picked on.
BG: In the end, do you think (Eagles coach Andy Reid) basically made a choice of Donovan over you?
TO: Yeah.
BG: Man to man are you disappointed in Donovan?
TO: I am. He may be disappointed in me as well.
BG: Terrell, is Dallas your last chance?
TO: I can't say that it is. I'm just taking advantage of the opportunity that I had before me. I can't look past that.
BG: I've been quoting you throughout this interview. Let me quote Bill Parcells if I could, your new coach. He says, "Anything specifically intended to draw attention to you as an individual, I am against it and I don't want you on my team." So, how does a sharpie wielding, pom-pom waving exuberant wide receiver sit with that?
TO: I still gotta go out and do what's best for the Cowboys.
BG: What about doing what's best for TO?
TO: They go hand in hand.
BG: Do they?
TO: I don't think we're gonna have any problems. You're diggin' into it way more than what that quote is saying. I honestly don't.
BG: When you say, "Things are gonna be different," you know they're saying, "Well, I've heard that before."
TO: Well, like I said, people can change.
BG: But TO, (Drew Bledsoe) sits there and says, "Geez, his last two quarterbacks, the relationships ended badly. Is that just a coincidence?"
TO: It could be.
BG: Come on. You know, wait, wait, wait, what do you mean it could be?
TO: Why couldn't it be?
BG: You can't name me another outstanding receiver, who's got that kind of track record with his quarterbacks. Can you?
TO: There's only two incidents.
BG: It's the only two you got.
TO: That first situation with Jeff (Garcia) and I, yeah, probably a little bit, yeah, I can take the blame for that. But, this one, I'm not gonna take all the blame for that. I'm not, and I will not.
BG: You like Terrell Owens. Do you like TO?
TO: I gotta love him. You gotta love him. A lot of fans love him.
BG: However, comma.
TO: You can't have one without the other.
Posted by Barry Horn (http://www.dallasnews.com/blogs/sportssay/emailbloggers.htm?contact=Barry) http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/img/standing/icons/email.gif (http://www.dallasnews.com/blogs/sportssay/emailbloggers.htm?contact=Barry) at 4:07 PM (http://sportssay.beloblog.com/archives/2006/07/more_on_to_and.html) (E-mail this entry) (http://sportssay.beloblog.com/archives/2006/07/more_on_to_and.html)
------------------------
Just watched it on HBO, McNabb and the Eagles declined to respond.