You make the call. . .

911 call:

"I think he took too many pills," she told a paramedic. "Please. Now. ... What do I do if the pills are down the throat?"

Spin control:

When Etheredge spoke Wednesday, she lashed out at authorities, saying, "I am just upset that I just feel they take advantage of Terrell. Had this been someone else, this may not have happened."

Reaction to spin:

the head of the Dallas Police Association didn't. He called for an apology from Owens and Etheredge, saying, "We police officers don't go out to these calls and make stuff up."

"They're being put under a microscope by some fancy little football person," Senior Cpl. Glenn White said Thursday. "Give me a break. Those officers are 10 times better than this man."

Apology?

Etheredge later said she was sorry in an interview with the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. She added that her comments were "about the entire situation with the report and ensuing media controversy," not just the police.

Fallout

James "Buddy" Primm, the personal trainer for Terrell Owens, said Thursday that the Cowboys' wide receiver had relieved him of his services and was no longer speaking to him.

In a telephone conversation with The Dallas Morning News, Owens acknowledged as much and said Primm "had no business" discussing details of his private life with the news media.

Primm, 55, said Wednesday that Owens had been distraught over not being able to see his son, who celebrated his 7th birthday Monday. Then, hours later, he said, the receiver's fiancee, a woman he had dated for three years, severed their engagement.

"He shouldn't have been telling you anything about my personal life anyway," said Owens. "That's where it stops - right there. He should have never said anything remotely involving me or my personal life, especially my son or even my ex-girl."

Scene: Next Act

Wearing a small bandage over the scar on his right hand, and a black T-shirt that read "U Big Dummy" above a picture of TV character Fred Sanford, Owens walked into the locker room, sat on a sofa and unwrapped his lunch, then decided to take it into an adjacent, off-limits dining area.

What have we learned?

1) We have no idea who TO is! Let me repeat, we have no idea. Primm (the trainer) said he had a relationship with TO that was like father/son. One slip of revealing something personal about TO and that relationship is gone. The reason people jump to conclusions is no one really knows TO. Remember that when you hear the talking heads on ESPN and Fox Sports discuss this; they have no true idea of TO could be suicicidal. Most of them did not even know TO had a fiancee before they "decided" what happened or did not happen.

2) Marvin Harisson and Isaac Holt do not have publicists. When you turn your life into a media circus that is the basis for Burger King commercials, you reap what you sow (BTW, don't get me started on BK -- Dumbest commercials ever! Makes me want to change channels and never eat there again!)

3) Owners need to spend their money for on-field production. Theatrical productions off field do not win games; they ultimately lose games. On-field productions, letting consistent performance speak for them, is the kind of team player that wins championships. TO will sell more jerseys; Holt, Harrison, et al. will sell superbowl tickets. Owners from the local "free" fantasy football league to the NFL need to learn this.

4) Bill Parcells is a hall of fame coach. But he is also 65 years old. Given that no person can work more than 24 hours a day, it is safe to say that his hours are limited. If you want the Cowboys to win, would you prefer he spend time working on the game plan for next week, or dealing with TO issues with players, coaches, and media? It's not how many TD's you catch, it's do you make your team better or worse?


Disclaimer -- I have never liked TO, and I have never liked the Cowboys. For the Cowboys sake and Jerry Jones sake, I hope it takes them 10 years to discover this and they continue to write big checks to a growing cancer. But I do like Bill Parcells and I am sorry he is stuck in the middle of this. . . Perhaps there is a lesson of what type of owner to avoid in this also; in addition to what kind of players to avoid. . .



Links

ESPN Article
San Jose Mercury News