It’s hard to feel compassion for those we hate. We cannot possibly conceive of a way to feel the faintest touch of guilt for despising a seemingly selfish and egotistical human being. But sometimes our preconceived notions of a person and our perceptions of their character are purely superficial and keep us from really understanding the person “underneath the pads.”
Preliminary reports out of Dallas by WFAA-TV claimed that the Dallas Cowboys’ volatile wide receiver Terrell Owens was hospitalized Tuesday evening for attempted suicide by overdosing on prescription pain medication for a broken bone in his right ring finger. Owens’ publicist who called 911, Kim Etheridge, denied reports of a suicide attempt, and Wednesday morning Owens himself denied any such attempt on his life saying, “It’s very unfortunate for it to go from an allergic reaction to a suicide attempt.”
Nevertheless, this poster boy for all that is wrong with the modern athlete is one of the more misunderstood athletes of our time, and reports of his imminent death should make us reevaluate our hostile stance toward Owens. Steven Singular, who co-wrote Owens’ first book “Catch This!” in September 2004, told ESPN that he was “shocked, but wasn’t surprised” by the reports of a suicide attempt. But we should all be shocked and surprised. Our society criticizes people for who they are without understanding where they come from.
It is a known fact that both the San Francisco 49ers and the Philadelphia Eagles questioned Owens’ mental state and even requested that the beleaguered star undergo psychological evaluations, the mere mention of which upset Owens. In college and in the NFL, Owens was known to call his mother and his former agent, David Joseph, sobbing and complaining of his inability to cope with his current situations. It is obvious that Owens has emotional problems that can be traced to the fact that growing up he didn’t have a father and was never told that his father actually lived across his street.
Owens himself has admitted he is very slow to mature emotionally, and perhaps his refusal to deal with his past demons has finally caught up with him. But for someone always under the microscope ,it is difficult to deal with a painful past or other psychological issues. For someone who has overcome a troubled childhood and playing at a small college to become football’s most feared offensive threat, nothing seems impossible. I only hope that Owens can acknowledge his problems, reach out and get some help, applying the same fire and determination he shows on the field to deal with his problems off of it, so that the rumors that swirled around him yesterday never come true.
It is always easy to ostracize those who seem strange and different. This has been Owens’ plight throughout his career and one that our nation is guilty of far too often, especially when it comes to our athletes. In the world of sport and celebrity, we need to realize that our idols and hated rivals are people too. We must not judge them too quickly or too harshly and, in Owens’ case, do our part to help him feel like a human being and not just a football player.
