I have no intention of starting yet another thread on that jerk.
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Posted on Sat, Jul. 23, 2005
Agent rebuts claim T.O. will be in camp
By PAUL DOMOWITCH
pdomo@aol.com
IN THE BIZARRO world of Terrell Owens, black is white, up is down, and yes sometimes means maybe.
Even as the Eagles' wide receiver was telling one reporter yesterday he will be at training camp on time, his agent was telling another nothing's been decided.
"I spoke to Terrell a few minutes ago and, no, we have not made that decision [to report to camp] yet," Drew Rosenhaus told the Daily News last night. "He and I are definitely still kicking our options around. I always said it was 50/50 [that Owens will be at Lehigh]. I still feel that way. After talking to Terrell, this thing is still very much up in the air."
One day after saying it was very unlikely he'd report to training camp if the Eagles didn't agree to renegotiate his 1-year-old contract, Owens reversed field and told Inquirer columnist Stephen A. Smith he will report to Lehigh on Aug. 1 with the rest of the team's veterans, albeit with a grumpy look on his face.
"I'll be there," Owens said. "But I won't be happy, I can tell you that much. Take from that whatever you want."
Even if Owens decides to report on Aug. 1, Rosenhaus said there's no guarantee he will stick around. The agent said if Owens shows up and the Eagles remain steadfast in their refusal to renegotiate, he could bolt.
"Yeah, that's a possibility, sure," Rosenhaus said. "There are a lot of possibilities. Everything depends on the Eagles. They say everything depends on us. We'll just have to see.
"Our first hope is that we're going to be there on time and we're going to be able to get something worked out with the Eagles. That's our hope. But if that can't take place, then all bets are off.
"We'll personally weigh all of the options and make a decision. But it will be something that's fluid and can change from one day to the other. If people think that, should Terrell go to training camp the first day, if we don't get a deal worked out or a framework of a deal, if they think it's going to go away, they're very sorely mistaken. And if you know Terrell, you know that once he makes his mind up on something, he's going to stick with it."
Eagles president Joe Banner didn't return phone messages last night. But he and coach Andy Reid have made it clear on numerous occasions over the last 3 months that they have no intention of renegotiating Owens' contract.
The 31-year-old five-time Pro Bowler signed a 7-year, $48.97 million contract with the Eagles 16 months ago after the Eagles acquired him from the San Francisco 49ers. He will make more than $20 million in the first 3 years of the deal, which makes him the third-highest-paid wide receiver in the NFL, behind only the Raiders' Randy Moss and the Colts' Marvin Harrison.
Owens had 77 receptions last season and caught a franchise-record 14 touchdown passes. He came back from a serious late-season ankle injury to catch nine passes in the Eagles' 24-21 Super Bowl loss to the New England Patriots.
A few weeks later, he fired his longtime agent, David Joseph, and hired Rosenhaus, who informed the Eagles that Owens had "outperformed" his contract and wanted it redone.
Owens boycotted the Eagles' mandatory late-April minicamp, as well as their optional June passing camp. For reasons that still aren't clear, he's also taken some verbal shots at quarterback Donovan McNabb, who lobbied the Eagles to acquire Owens last year.
In an interview this week with Atlanta-based Comcast SportsNet Southeast, Owens said he has warned Reid that if he reports to camp without at least the promise of a new deal, "it's not going to be a good situation."
If Owens doesn't report to training camp, or if he reports and leaves, he will be subject to a $9,500-a-day fine by the club. The Eagles also have the option of reclaiming $1.87 million of the $2.25 million signing bonus they gave Owens last year if he misses any of training camp.
Since Rosenhaus made his initial renegotiation request, the Eagles essentially have refused to deal with him, telling the agent that if he has anything to say to them, he should put it in an e-mail.
Asked yesterday whether he plans to talk with Banner before the start of training camp, Rosenhaus said: "Yes, I will. We're still hopeful of fruitful discussions with the team. We will not give up on that hope. I'm going to continue to try and foster the discussions."
WR Terrell Owens 
