Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver Terrell Owens is scheduled in 2005 to make $3.25 million, making him the third highest paid wide receiver in the NFL, behind Randy Moss and Marvin Harrison. Last week, however, Owens approached Eagles head coach and general manager Andy Reid for a raise.
Pro athletes receiving more money for strong play is nothing different. Often times, teams are more than willing to reward a player for performing well. The Indiana Pacers did so by re-signing point guard Jamaal Tinsley last October to a seven-year contract extension. But the Eagles have already scratched Owens' back. Now he's asking for full body massage.
Last summer, Owens desperately wanted to leave the San Francisco 49ers and had an option to void his contract and become a free agent. Thanks to his former agent who failed to file the notice by the proper deadline, Owens was to be retained by the 49ers. After making several pleas to the NFL Player's Association, he was allowed to join the Philadelphia Eagles and signed a seven year, almost-$49 million contract with a healthy $16 million signing bonus.
Because Owens' contract is back loaded (meaning he is paid more per year in the later years of the contract), his base salary for 2005 is relatively low in comparison to Randy Moss and Marvin Harrison. Owens isn't pleased about that. He feels he is the best receiver in football and should be paid accordingly.
In a nationally televised interview last week, a teary-eyed Owens revealed his major concern about a new contract: feeding his family. Apparently $3.25 million just doesn't go as far as it used to. Owens himself must have a healthy appetite, since his bio at www.terrellowens.com says he is "single and resides in suburban Atlanta in the offseason."
That's quite a family to feed.
Minnesota Timberwolves swingman Latrell Sprewell used the same reasoning last fall when he asked for a raise. Sprewell's 2004-05 base salary was $14,625,000, not to mention the commissions he receives from the sales of those ridiculous spinning wheels he invented. Owens and Sprewell make more money in one game than most people do in a year.
According to the National Immigration Law Center's Web site, the poverty line for a family of four in the continental United States is $19,350. Sprewell made over $178,000 per game this season. Owens is due to make $203,125 per game in 2005 in base salary alone.
Don't get me wrong, I'm all for athletes capitalizing on their talents. If a team is a willing to pay someone millions to play a game, they would be crazy not to take it. But when malcontents like Owens and Sprewell make such a spectacle of their demands, it gives all athletes a bad name.
On top of everything else, Owens also tried to prove his value to the Eagles by saying "I wasn't the one who got tired in the Super Bowl," an obvious cheap shot at beloved Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb who said he was experiencing nausea during the final drive in their Super Bowl loss to America's Sweetheart Tom Brady and the New England Patriots.
If the Eagles were smart, they won't budge an inch and refuse Owens' demands. T.O. is a locker room cancer and alienates his teammates. Nobody is talking about the Eagles' chances in '05, only T.O.'s contract issue. Owens' previous boss, former 49ers GM Terry Donahue put it best when he said, "Terrell demands respect from everyone, but won't give it to anyone."
Write to Danny at
dsdavis@bsu.edu
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