Terrell Owens thinks he can still play
By Josh Sanchez
Terrell Owens has not played a down of professional football in three years, but he still hasn’t given up hope that he will one day be able to return to the NFL. Owens, who is now 40 years old, still believes he can play at a high level and he believes his resume should be enough to get him that opportunity.
“No doubt there’s not a question that I can still play,” Owens said, via the Associated Press. “But perception, media portrayal is so negative. Any time there’s a rumor that a team is interested in bringing me in, there’s all this media attention, and the negative things they have to say are more than the positives.
“It’s not about what I can bring to them. It’s about stuff I did five, 10 years ago.”
Owens is a future Hall of Famer and there is no doubt that he has always been a fitness freak. So while some may wonder just how good of shape he has kept himself in, he believes that he is no different than five years ago.
“They brought up my age when I was 35, 36 and I’m still in just as good shape as I was then,” Owens said. “Jerry [Rice] played until he was 42. At 39, I ran a 4.43 40-yard dash. You look at the number of dropped balls and the way guys are playing now and you can’t honestly say I can’t do better.”
Then, there is the perception that many have of Owens as a trouble-maker and headache off the field. However, Owens never really had legal trouble and seeing the issues that some of the current players are having reminds him about his unfair bad wrap.
“You look at some of the stuff guys are doing now, domestic violence, players killing players, just everything,” Owens said. “You have so many guys with off-the-field problems, drug issues, alcohol problems and they’re still given second chances and third chances. They’re putting them in rehab and keeping them on the team. I never had those issues. It’s disappointing.”
The most disappointing thing for Owens is that he will not get another shot to prove he can make an impact in the NFL, but the good news is that he should be enjoying enshrinement into Canton, Ohio in just a few years.