t.o. gets what he deserves

That is, a broad ruling in favor of Philly that will keep him off the field for a few months. Not only do the Eagles not have to worry about him, they can also feed him some of his own medicine by refusing to let him play elsewhere. And we all know they will. Hey, you ruin our season, we'll ruin yours. Fair is fair.

The arbitrator could have set a very bad precendent had he forced the Eagles to let Owens back on the team after his suspension. That would imply that any player who didn't like his current digs could just throw tantrums until the team finally couldn't deal with him anymore and had to release him after a short suspension, and then go hunting for a new home. But as it is, the team has the final say on what to do with a malcontent. And that's the way it ought to be. A contract is a contract, and if a team holds up its end of the deal then no player should be able to weasel his way out of something he decides he doesn't like. If you don't like it don't sign it. And if you don't like the terms then work through that before you sign it, then just shut up and play it out. What makes these guys think they can just decide to change the terms of a deal whenever they want? (Oh yeah, a lot of NFL players probably can't read well enough to understand their own contract. Okay, so get an agent you can trust and let him do the hard stuff like reading and communicating.)

So, bottom line, T.O. got exactly what he had coming to him. He complained, he ranted, he bitched, he moaned, he played hurt, he trashed his teammates, he started locker room fights, he antagonized everyone around him, and finally the Eagles offer a little bit of payback and he can't take it. Too bad. People get what they deserve, Terrell, and you're no different. The only surprise here is that you ever managed to fool anyone into believing a powder keg like you was worth the risk. Congratulations on that much, but you can't run from yourself for long. Looks like your constant stream of stupid behavior has caught up to you.

Almost as pathetic as Owens himself is the fact that some bonehead general manager out there is going to see something worth paying for in this guy and pick him up. He flamed the 49ers on his way out, he trashed Baltimore every chance he had and finally wiggled his way out of that (the Ravens should be the most grateful team in the league, for the so-called football gods certainly smiled upon them that day), he singlehandedly tore down a Super Bowl team, and soon his many talents will be on the market once again. What team will be next in his path of destruction? The Broncos? Atlanta, maybe? Oh please let it be Dallas--I've always hated the Cowgirls. But whoever it is, that team's GM will be without excuse. He's seen the T.O. treatment run its course on all three teams he's come in contact with now, and he only seems to get worse with each victim. So go for it, pick him up and see how long the charade lasts before the real T.O. shows up. I know at least a few of you GM's have already started the process of denial as I type, and come this spring you'll be ready to ignore overwhelming evidence and treat this guy like he's the missing link between you and a Super Bowl. And if you're really quiet you'll hear me laughing all the way from southern Maryland.