TO taken to hospital????
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Owens refutes report, says he didn't attempt suicide
DALLAS -- 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.
Rescue workers arrived at Owens' home around 8 p.m. Tuesday and took him to an emergency room. When word spread, publicist Kim Etheredge said it was an allergic reaction.
But the story shifted Wednesday morning when several media outlets received a police report -- that had yet to be released by the authorities -- saying Owens had attempted suicide by overdosing on the painkillers, even putting two more pills into his mouth after an unidentified friend, later identified as Etheredge, intervened.
The police document, first reported by WFAA-TV, said Owens was asked by rescue workers "if he was attempting to harm himself, at which time [he] stated: 'Yes.'"
When officially released by police, about half the document was blacked out, including the phrases "attempting suicide by prescription pain medication" and "a drug overdose," as well as the details of Owens having two pills pried from his mouth and Owens saying "Yes" when asked if he intended to harm himself.
"I was kind of out of it," Owens said. "I can barely even remember the doctors, much less the police officers asking me questions."
Owens also said that he's "not depressed about anything" and that he should practice Thursday.
Owens broke the bone leading to his right ring finger during a game a week ago Sunday. The next day, doctors screwed in a plate so the bone could heal without fear of further damage -- leaving a 2-inch scar on top of his hand.
If he doesn't play this Sunday, Owens might still return for the following game -- Oct. 8, in Philadelphia, against the team that dumped him midway through last season only months after helping them nearly win the Super Bowl.
Etheredge also appeared at Owens' news conference, saying she "did not take anything out of his mouth" and that it was unfair for anyone to think Owens would kill himself.
"Terrell has 25 million reasons why he should be alive," she added, referring to the $25 million, three-year contract he signed in March with the Cowboys.
"I'm just upset," Etheredge added. "I feel they take advantage of Terrell. Had this been someone else, this may not have happened."
Dallas police officials declined to comment on Etheredge's denials. "We can't discuss the police report because of privacy laws," said a spokesman, Sgt. Gil Cerda.
Teammates and friends throughout the league rallied to support Owens even before he spoke, with many saying they thought the suicide report might be wrong.
"As soon as I got the news this morning, I had to make my call to make sure everything was OK. You know what? It was," said Cincinnati receiver Chad Johnson, a close friend through their rivalry over the best end-zone celebrations.
Former Cowboys star Deion Sanders was with Owens at his home before he went to team headquarters.
"From my understanding, looking at him in the eye as a man and as a big brother, I said `Be straight up with me.' He seems to be OK," Sanders told the NFL Network, where he works as an analyst.
After getting almost strictly Owens-related questions, Cowboys coach Bill Parcells cut off his usual 25-30 minute session after only nine minutes. He ended it by getting up from his chair and saying, "When I find out what the hell is going on, you will know. Until then, I'm not getting interrogated for no reason."
Police Lt. Rick Watson said during his brief news conference that he could only confirm paramedics called police to say they were taking Owens to the hospital. He said no more details would come from the police because no laws were broken.
"We looked into it, and we determined it is not a criminal offense," Watson said. "This a medical type of situation that occurred."
It is not a crime in Texas to attempt suicide.
DALLAS -- 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.
Rescue workers arrived at Owens' home around 8 p.m. Tuesday and took him to an emergency room. When word spread, publicist Kim Etheredge said it was an allergic reaction.
But the story shifted Wednesday morning when several media outlets received a police report -- that had yet to be released by the authorities -- saying Owens had attempted suicide by overdosing on the painkillers, even putting two more pills into his mouth after an unidentified friend, later identified as Etheredge, intervened.
The police document, first reported by WFAA-TV, said Owens was asked by rescue workers "if he was attempting to harm himself, at which time [he] stated: 'Yes.'"
When officially released by police, about half the document was blacked out, including the phrases "attempting suicide by prescription pain medication" and "a drug overdose," as well as the details of Owens having two pills pried from his mouth and Owens saying "Yes" when asked if he intended to harm himself.
"I was kind of out of it," Owens said. "I can barely even remember the doctors, much less the police officers asking me questions."
Owens also said that he's "not depressed about anything" and that he should practice Thursday.
Owens broke the bone leading to his right ring finger during a game a week ago Sunday. The next day, doctors screwed in a plate so the bone could heal without fear of further damage -- leaving a 2-inch scar on top of his hand.
If he doesn't play this Sunday, Owens might still return for the following game -- Oct. 8, in Philadelphia, against the team that dumped him midway through last season only months after helping them nearly win the Super Bowl.
Etheredge also appeared at Owens' news conference, saying she "did not take anything out of his mouth" and that it was unfair for anyone to think Owens would kill himself.
"Terrell has 25 million reasons why he should be alive," she added, referring to the $25 million, three-year contract he signed in March with the Cowboys.
"I'm just upset," Etheredge added. "I feel they take advantage of Terrell. Had this been someone else, this may not have happened."
Dallas police officials declined to comment on Etheredge's denials. "We can't discuss the police report because of privacy laws," said a spokesman, Sgt. Gil Cerda.
Teammates and friends throughout the league rallied to support Owens even before he spoke, with many saying they thought the suicide report might be wrong.
"As soon as I got the news this morning, I had to make my call to make sure everything was OK. You know what? It was," said Cincinnati receiver Chad Johnson, a close friend through their rivalry over the best end-zone celebrations.
Former Cowboys star Deion Sanders was with Owens at his home before he went to team headquarters.
"From my understanding, looking at him in the eye as a man and as a big brother, I said `Be straight up with me.' He seems to be OK," Sanders told the NFL Network, where he works as an analyst.
After getting almost strictly Owens-related questions, Cowboys coach Bill Parcells cut off his usual 25-30 minute session after only nine minutes. He ended it by getting up from his chair and saying, "When I find out what the hell is going on, you will know. Until then, I'm not getting interrogated for no reason."
Police Lt. Rick Watson said during his brief news conference that he could only confirm paramedics called police to say they were taking Owens to the hospital. He said no more details would come from the police because no laws were broken.
"We looked into it, and we determined it is not a criminal offense," Watson said. "This a medical type of situation that occurred."
It is not a crime in Texas to attempt suicide.
Smokinggun has a copy of the police report. TO and company are trying to put thier spin on it now.
Unless the cop was lying. Either way I think the media just ran with what they had.
http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/0927061owens1.html
Unless the cop was lying. Either way I think the media just ran with what they had.
http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/0927061owens1.html
I doubt the cop lied. He could get fired for that shit. In the live press conference Owens' rep said she doesn't remember all that she said because it was a long night and very stressful. Whether he tried to kill himself or not, his representative probably indicated that he was depressed whether she denies it or not.
Police: Owens Didn't Attempt Suicide
By JAIME ARON, AP Sports Writer
41 minutes ago
IRVING, Texas - Dallas police have classified Terrell Owens' case as an "accidental overdose," not an attempted suicide, closing their investigation Thursday of the Cowboys receiver's hospitalization.
Dallas police chief David Kunkle said he has "great confidence in the original officer report," which said rescue workers were called to the scene because of an attempted "suicide by prescription pain medication." The police document also said a friend described Owens as being depressed and that Owens said "Yes" when asked whether he was trying to harm himself.
"The report in my opinion reflects what the officers were told and represents their best interpretation of what happened," Kunkle said at a news conference Thursday. "But that doesn't mean it's the definitive account of the incident. Like all these situations, we're dealing with incomplete information and facts that change."
Owens said Wednesday he mistakenly mixed the painkillers for a broken hand with supplements he ordinarily takes, causing him to become groggy while at home Tuesday evening. His publicist, Kim Etheredge, was with him and didn't like what she saw, especially when she also discovered an empty bottle of pills. She called 911, and Owens was taken by ambulance to an emergency room.
Within two hours of his hospital release Wednesday morning, Owens was catching passes at team headquarters. He went through a full practice Thursday, his first since breaking his right hand on Sept. 17, and might play Sunday in Tennessee.
At a news conference Wednesday, Owens denied the strongest parts of the police report, which was obtained by media outlets before most details were blacked out in the formal release. Etheredge 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."
Earlier Thursday, the president of the Dallas Police Association, which represents Dallas police officers, demanded an apology from T.O. and his publicist.
"The officers reacted because they were called to this location to do this job. Now they're being put under a microscope by some fancy little football person," Senior Cpl. Glenn White said. "Give me a break. Those officers are 10 times better than this man. ... We police officers don't go out to these calls and make stuff up."
Kunkle said at his news conference that Owens and Etheredge were welcome to file a report against the officers if they believe anyone acted inappropriately.
"There's no reason for the officers to do anything inappropriate," he added.
Etheredge could not immediately be reached for a response. The voice mail on her cell phone was full, and she did not respond to an e-mail from The Associated Press.
By JAIME ARON, AP Sports Writer
41 minutes ago
IRVING, Texas - Dallas police have classified Terrell Owens' case as an "accidental overdose," not an attempted suicide, closing their investigation Thursday of the Cowboys receiver's hospitalization.
Dallas police chief David Kunkle said he has "great confidence in the original officer report," which said rescue workers were called to the scene because of an attempted "suicide by prescription pain medication." The police document also said a friend described Owens as being depressed and that Owens said "Yes" when asked whether he was trying to harm himself.
"The report in my opinion reflects what the officers were told and represents their best interpretation of what happened," Kunkle said at a news conference Thursday. "But that doesn't mean it's the definitive account of the incident. Like all these situations, we're dealing with incomplete information and facts that change."
Owens said Wednesday he mistakenly mixed the painkillers for a broken hand with supplements he ordinarily takes, causing him to become groggy while at home Tuesday evening. His publicist, Kim Etheredge, was with him and didn't like what she saw, especially when she also discovered an empty bottle of pills. She called 911, and Owens was taken by ambulance to an emergency room.
Within two hours of his hospital release Wednesday morning, Owens was catching passes at team headquarters. He went through a full practice Thursday, his first since breaking his right hand on Sept. 17, and might play Sunday in Tennessee.
At a news conference Wednesday, Owens denied the strongest parts of the police report, which was obtained by media outlets before most details were blacked out in the formal release. Etheredge 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."
Earlier Thursday, the president of the Dallas Police Association, which represents Dallas police officers, demanded an apology from T.O. and his publicist.
"The officers reacted because they were called to this location to do this job. Now they're being put under a microscope by some fancy little football person," Senior Cpl. Glenn White said. "Give me a break. Those officers are 10 times better than this man. ... We police officers don't go out to these calls and make stuff up."
Kunkle said at his news conference that Owens and Etheredge were welcome to file a report against the officers if they believe anyone acted inappropriately.
"There's no reason for the officers to do anything inappropriate," he added.
Etheredge could not immediately be reached for a response. The voice mail on her cell phone was full, and she did not respond to an e-mail from The Associated Press.