The future Hall of Famer just signed a contract extension with the Cowboys last off season. Now, he joins a storied franchise, the Buffalo Bills, that has unravelled of late. While his deteriorating performance will be the scapegoat reasoning of his release from the Cowboys, his well-documented history of ruining team chemistry in the locker room and through the media was finally too much to take for Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones. T.O.'s antics with the Cowboys were not unprecedented. His years with the San Francisco 49ers and Philadelphia Eagles were filled with equally as obtrusive behavior.
T.O.'s Hall of Fame Career
T.O. will go down as one of the greatest on-field wide receivers in football history. If he never played another down he would be tied for sixth all-time in receptions with 951, fifth in receiving yards with 14,122, and second in receiving touchdowns with 139. NFL defenses were required to game plan for him and offenses were schemed around his ability.
Equally as impressive, especially in today’s sports climate, was that his private life appeared to be conducted free of criminal offenses, late night binging and womanizing, and performance-enhancing drugs.
T.O.'s Troubled Career
While he is certainly not the most hated person in sports, he is certainly on the short list. He is almost always his team’s primary target of criticism and booing at opposing stadiums and is often booed even in his own building.
His relentless self-promotion, sideline arguments with other players and coaches, and tenuous and often indicting relationships with his quarterbacks has cemented his dubious legacy. Indicting then 49ers quarterback Jeff Garcia of being “gay” was first, then calling Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb “un-athletic” during his short tenure with the Eagles, and finally, accusing his most recent signal caller, Tony Romo, of favoring tight end Jason Witten over the core group of wide receivers, which included him.
Owens has played in only one Super Bowl, which he and the Eagles lost, maintains a tumultuous relationship with the media that has plagued and embarrassed him throughout his career, and his attempted suicide back in 2006 shed additional light on this unique personality and quest for attention.
T.O.'s Future
T.O. becomes eligible for the Pro Football Hall of Fame five years after his last game is played. The majority of sports fans and media and many NFL players cordially invite the owners and general managers in the NFL to put T.O. in the Hall of Fame as soon as possible.
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