Top 10 toxic teammates of the NFL

May 5, 2016; Dallas, TX, USA; Former Texas A&M and Cleveland Browns quarterback Johnny Manziel appears before Judge Roberto Ca as at the Frank Crowley Courts Building. Manziel reported to court for the first time since a Dallas County grand jury indicted him last month on a misdemeanor domestic violence charge. Former girlfriend Colleen Crowley has accused him of kidnapping, hitting and threatening to kill her in January. Mandatory Credit: Smiley N. Pool/Pool Photo via USA TODAYSports /

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Terrell Owens had a lecture for Donovan McNabb

Nov 10, 2013; San Francisco, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers former player Terrell Owens on the sideline before the game against the Carolina Panthers at Candlestick Park. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports /

9. Terrell Owens

If there were a Wide Receiver Code (WRC), Article 81, Section 2 would say, “Don’t criticize your quarterback publicly.” Terrell Owens did just that when he aired numerous grievances about Donovan McNabb after his two-season run with the Philadelphia Eagles. Owens made it to the Super Bowl with McNabb at the helm, but still he saw fit to attack McNabb’s fitness and leadership skills even though Owens caught 77 passes for 1,200 yards that season and McNabb threw for a respectable 3,875.

McNabb described Owens’ bad influence on the organization via CBS Sports:

"“Andy (Reid) was a very disciplined guy. He wanted things structured … but people (began) to follow Terrell, and Terrell knew that. Terrell had these guys (thinking) this is the way to do it, when, no, that’s not how we did it in Philly. We’re going to do it the way it’s supposed to be done. People felt some type of way on Terrell’s side, just like (some) people (were) on my side.”"

Owens’ troubles with the Eagles were not isolated incidents. He had trouble with other organizations as well, traded or released a surprising number of times for someone of his talent. Tony Dungy thought Owens’ attitude was a reason he was not voted into the Hall of Fame this year. He said, via Pro Football Talk:

"“Terrell Owens was a great receiver, but I’ll say this, if I’m going for Marvin Harrison or Terrell Owens, I’m taking Marvin Harrison every day of the week. Just as productive, just as hard to defend and made his teams better. There still is to me a characteristic that goes into that. I’m not taking anything away from Terrell Owens’ ability, but when you get traded or released five times in your prime and you’re a great player but teams are not re-signing you, that says something.”"

Owens insists he was an appropriate teammate, but clearly not everyone shared that perception. One perception that most people do share, however, is that he was a phenomenal athlete.

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