MVN - Most Valuable Network

T.O. is Sort of a Good Guy

Interesting story from ESPN Page 2 columnist Sam Alipour today. Last Thursday, Sam was leaving the ESPY awards when he stepped off the curb to hail a cab — the next thing he knew, he had been hit by a Honda Civic and flew through the vehicle’s windshield. He was surprised by the first person he saw when he regained consciousness:

When I came to, I was on the sidewalk, my shoulder hurting like crazy, shards of glass in my forearm and blood dripping from my fingers, while limo drivers and other witnesses screamed this way and that. The paramedics told me I was lucky to be alive (”Last time I saw a windshield like that,” said one, “guy lost both his legs”), and all I could think was, “Damn! I just bought this Banana Republic tie-and-shirt ensemble!”

That, and “Holy crap, that’s T.O.!”

Terrell Owens was standing over me. I’m told he was the first do-gooder on the scene of the accident. That he helped me to my feet and off the street to safe ground. That he didn’t leave my side. It seems the mercurial Dallas Cowboys receiver is my hero. But my hero looks scared, and this scares me.

“Wow, you all right, man?” Owens kept asking me, but in a manner that would suggest there is no possible way that I, in fact, could be all right. “Don’t move. Just sit there. Breathe. Don’t move.”

I wonder if T.O. held a press conference after the car accident and, trying to hold back the tears, told reporters, “That’s my sports writer, man.” Or maybe Roger Goodell is looking to fine Owens for celebrating excessively after providing aid to Alipour.

You know, I think many peoples’ perceptions of Owens have been changing for the better lately. While his teary postgame press conference following the Cowboys’ loss to the Giants in the divisional round of the playoffs last season was great comedic fodder for sports fans, it also revealed a side of Owens that cares deeply about his teammates. Give the guy some credit…perhaps he’s not the locker room cancer that many suspect. And if this story from Alipour is any indication, perhaps he’s not quite as dickish as we might have thought.

This entry was posted on Monday, July 21st, 2008 at 6:59 pm and is filed under NFL, Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.