Terrell Owens Guide, Meaning , Facts, Information and Description
Terrell Owens (popularly referred to as T.O., born December 7, 1973) is an American football wide receiver, currently playing for the Philadelphia Eagles.Born in Alexander City, Alabama, Owens played college football for the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga and was drafted by the NFL's San Francisco 49ers as the 89th overall pick in the 3rd round in the 1996 NFL draft.
He is known for his occasional, flamboyant celebrations after scoring touchdowns. On September 24, 2000 in Dallas, Terrell Owens showed off by going to the middle of the football field after both of his touchdown catches to celebrate on the Dallas Cowboys' famous star logo. The second time, a Cowboys player blindsided him during the celebration, sending him sprawling to the turf. During a Monday Night Football game against the Seattle Seahawks on October 14, 2002, Owens pulled a Sharpie marker out of his sock to sign the football he caught to score a touchdown and gave the ball to a friend in the stands. After he scored a 45-yard touchdown run against the Green Bay Packers on December 15, 2002, Owens celebrated by waving a pair of pom-poms borrowed from a 49ers cheerleader.
Owens is considered by most as one of the best wide receivers currently playing in the NFL. Since the 2000 football season, he has gained over 1,000 yards each season.
His next celebratory display turned out to be prophetic in a manner of speaking: On November 17, 2003, the 49ers hosted the Pittsburgh Steelers in a Monday night game, and Owens wore a wristband with the words "The Answer" emblazoned on it. Just over eight minutes into the game, he caught a 61-yard touchdown pass from Tim Rattay (who was starting at quarterback because Jeff Garcia was injured), and excitedly pointed to the wristband after reaching the end zone to draw attention to it. After the game (won by San Francisco 30-14), Owens was asked by a sideline reporter the significance of the slogan on the wristband, and he replied: "Because I am The Answer." Since "The Answer" is the widely known nickname of Philadelphia 76ers guard Allen Iverson, some observers wondered if Owens might have been signalling his intentions to play for the Philadelphia Eagles after the 2003 season, as it was common knowledge that Owens was slated to become a free agent once the season was over.
But Owens' agent missed a February 21 deadline to void the final years of his contract with the 49ers, and on March 4, 2004, San Francisco traded Owens to the Baltimore Ravens for a second round pick in the 2004 draft. However, Owens challenged the 49ers' right to make the deal. Owens assumed that he would become a free agent on March 3, and did not believe that the earlier deadline was applicable. So he had negotiated with other teams in advance of his expected free agency, and had reached a contract agreement with the Eagles, whose fan base strongly supported Owens in his desire to play for the team. The NFL players' union filed a grievance on his behalf.
Before an arbitrator could make a ruling on Owens' grievance, the NFL and the three teams involved in the controversy reached a settlement on March 16, 2004. The Ravens got their second-round pick back from the Niners, and the Niners in turn received a fifth-round pick and defensive end Brandon Whiting from the Eagles in exchange for the rights to Owens. Owens' contract with the Eagles is reported to be worth $42 million for seven years, including a $10 million signing bonus.
In September of 2004, Terrell Owens released his autobiography, "Catch This! Going Deep with the NFL's Sharpest Weapon". The book is 288 pages and was co-written by Stephen Singular.