Terrell Owens Suicide Attempt?

Via Brandon Minich, I see that Cowboys wide receiver Terrell Owens was thought to have attempted suicide via pain medication. Fortunately, it appears those reports are false.

Terrell Owens denied a police report he attempted suicide, saying he became groggy after mixing painkillers with supplements.

As if to prove he’s doing fine, Owens went from the hospital to catching passes from quarterback Drew Bledsoe within two hours, then proclaimed himself “very capable of going out there and playing on Sunday” — despite whatever happened Tuesday night and a broken right hand.

Owens said Wednesday the confusion likely stemmed from an empty bottle of pain medication found by his publicist, who was with him at the time and called 911. He said the rest of the pills were in a drawer. “I was non-responsive when she made that call,” Owens said. “She made the call out of her judgment for my well-being.”

Appearing in a news conference at team headquarters a few hours after leaving a hospital for what an internal police report described as “a drug overdose,” Owens wore workout gear and no bandage on his broken right hand. The star receiver smiled and seemed more amused than peeved at the latest ruckus surrounding him.

Owens, 32, blamed a combination of hydrocodone, a generic form of Vicodin, with all-natural supplements for making him ill. “It’s very unfortunate for it to go from an allergic reaction to a suicide attempt,” he said.

Wow. Glad to hear this was just a bizarre miscommunication.

My wife and I are flying to Nashville this weekend to see the game with some friends who live there. Given that Owen just broke his finger two weeks ago, I wasn’t expecting to see him play, anyway. But I’m hoping he’ll be around later in the season. And just around, period.

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James Joyner
About James Joyner
James Joyner is Professor and Department Head of Security Studies at Marine Corps University's Command and Staff College. He's a former Army officer and Desert Storm veteran. Views expressed here are his own. Follow James on Twitter @DrJJoyner.

Comments

  1. Mark says:

    I cannot wait to see the signs Eagles fans make when Dallas comes to town…

  2. randall says:

    I doubt this was a suicide attempt. It may have been a call for help. As a former EMS worker I can tell you suicide by medication rarely works. People who really want to do it will use a gun, or a rope,or a fast car, or jump off a tall building. I hope he is going to be okay because I’m a fan.

  3. Christopher says:

    I cannot believe all the publicity. Why can’t people just leave him alone? The police report was NOT supposed to be released. It is sick what reporters will reveal. Someone should follow them around for a change.

  4. Fersboo says:

    Yeah, just a miscommunication.