T.O. disappointing some Eagles fans

SHANE EVANS STAFF WRITER &\iE722@CABRINI .EDU

Professional sports are a complicated business. Almost a contradictory statement don't you think? To me at least, sports are supposed to be fun and uplifting, and anything that involves business is generally not that great. When you put them together, which happens quite often you get an interesting situation.

Take, for example, the situation swirling around Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver Terrell Owens. In an off-season that saw the likes of former defensive tackle Corey Simon and running back Brian Westbrook hold out, the story that revolved around T.O. seemingly got immensely more attention.

The enigmatic receiver first decided to verbally attack Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb on account of his play in the Super Bowl. Shortly following that, T.O. made it clear that he wasn't happy with his contract, that he "out-performed it."

Frankly, I think that is just silly. In the off-season before he came to Philly, he basically begged and pleaded to come here. He refused to play for the Baltimore Ravens even after a trade had been made in principal.

Once he finally made it here, the fans adored him. Welcomed him with open arms and the anticipation of a great season was at it's highest.

Not surprisingly, T.O came through and had a great year; one of the best for an Eagles wide receiver, pulling in 77 catches for 1200 yards and 14 touchdowns, which helped the Eagles to their • first Super Bowl in more than 20 years. But that wasn't enough for T.O.

He felt that the seven year, $42 million contract that he signed wasn't enough to satisfy his obviously outstanding needs. He needed more money to make h.imhappy, and without it, which he made publicly known, he wouldn't be cooperative.

Lets think about it th.is way for a second. Let's just say, and I know this is hard to th.ink about, if the Eagles had a really poor year last year. Maybe they finished with a 10-6 record and missed the playoffs. Perhaps T.O. only made 35 receptions and four touchdowns, which would be way below his career averages.

There would be hysteria in Philadelphia for many reasons. Firstly, because the Eagles were so used to outstanding success. Secondly, because the acquisition they tried so hard to get didn't produce. And thirdly, the goal of a Super Bowl parade in the city didn't happen.

Then what?

Could the Eagles front office demand some of that money back from Owens? Could they essentially walk up. to him and say, "Mr. Owens, you didn't produce up to our expectaKRT tions, now we want some money back, or to pay you less in the future."

Absolutely not. That would never ever happen in any pro spoi;ts situation. But why can an athlete demand more just because he had a good season?

Sure the Eagles made it to the Super Bowl for the first time in over 20 years. Sure T.O. had one of the best seasons for a wide receiver in Eagles history. But that doesn't mean he can ask for more money does it? No.

Some call it greediness. Some call it a smart decision to complain. I call it madness. Especially when you put it into perspective. For example, T.O. makes exponentially more than the