More T.O.? N.O. thanks

By Mike Kaufmann

As most sports fans already know, Terrell Owens made headlines last week when he reportedly attempted suicide. Owens claimed he did no such thing, instead saying that it was a bad mix of pain killers and other pills.

Regardless of whether or not we can believe Owens, a lot of the sports reporters have missed the boat with this one.

Owens is nothing more than an attention starved, overpaid athlete that requires media attention in order to survive. Did anybody else witness the type of coverage that ESPN granted Owens during last week's saga? In a few words: overdone, repetitive, boring.

At this point, I've seen far too much of T.O. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy national sports coverage, as I consider myself a fan of more than just my Bay Area teams. But when is the media going to catch on with Owens?

Why is it so hard to realize that T.O. does everything in the name of attention and publicity?

After his blow-up in San Francisco, Owens bolted to Philadelphia. In Philly, he questioned his quarterback's desire to win and eventually ended up in Dallas. And now? Well, is any casual sports fan remotely surprised to see Owens in the headlines yet again?

The problem is that we keep feeding the beast. We keep giving coverage -- the one thing that T.O. loves -- and Owens keeps creating havoc in each locker room he enters.

I find that watching Marvin Harrison of the Colts is more fun. He's a professional who does his job quietly and doesn't talk trash. Somewhere in the middle, you'll find guys like Chad Johnson and Steve Smith who are entertaining, but not over the top.

I buy the argument that they're putting on a show for the fans, but I refuse to believe that Owens can make the same statement.

This weekend, Owens and the Cowboys go to Philadelphia, where Eagles fans are likely to rip into Owens. The game will have national attention, but for all the wrong reasons.

I know we love tabbing games about individual players, but in this case it needs to stop. ESPN should cover the game not because Owens is returning to the city that he turned his back on, but because Eagles-Cowboys is a great match-up.

If he's not worrying about the Sharpie in his sock, T.O. is a great athlete.

But because of the mundane coverage that he garners week in and week out, I couldn't care less.

Contact Mike Kaufmann at (408) 551-1918 or mlkaufmann@scu.edu.