Owens skips his Ravens physical

Sac Bee ^ | 3/9/04 | Matthew Barrows

[swilhelm73]

SANTA CLARA - Terrell Owens skipped a scheduled physical exam Monday in Baltimore, and the unhappy wide receiver made it clear he has no intention of wearing a Ravens uniform. "So that there is no misunderstanding," Owens wrote in a statement, "regardless of what happens with the grievance, under the present circumstances I do not see myself playing for the Ravens."

[swilhelm73]

Oh my...

Owens vowed to continue fighting for free-agent status even if his grievance fails, and on his Web site even compared his plight to that of civil rights icon Rosa Parks.

"(You) just can't settle for whatever. Rosa Parks didn't!" he wrote. "You have to stand up for your rights, and that's what I plan to do, win or lose."

[ChinaThreat]

This is hillarious! Rosa Parks would probably tell Owens to sit his jive @$$ down and she didn't care if it was in the front or the back of the bus.

[KevinB]

Sort of reminds me of Beltway sniper John Malvo's attorney who today told the press that he and Malvo have discussed the similarities of Malvo's struggles with those of Nelson Mandela. I'm no great fan of Mandela, but give me a break!

[ServesURight]

[leadhead]

The Eagles are curiously silent on the whole matter.

[Callahan]

Owens is the proto-typical rich, braindead, egomaniac pro athlete, but I'm an Eagles fan and we need help at WR. Fight the power, TO!!!

[MediaMole]

The former 49er planned on becoming a free agent this offseason but missed the deadline to void the final three years on his contract.

What a maroon.

[rintense]

This is all crap. Owens' agent missed the cut to file the necessary paperwork, and now Owens is crying foul? He should fire his agent! Of course, if the Philly deal goes through, the Niners will want a first round pick, which basically screws everyone- everyone because an agent and player couldn't follow the frickin rules.

I am SOOOOO glad TO didn't land here in Detroit- and I really feel for Philly fans if he ends up there. He'll complain endlessly about McNabb. Should be an interesting season if that happens.

[Temple Owl]

I only hope the Eagles have the good sense to let this clown go to Baltimore. We have enough troubles in Philly without bringing in Owens.

[Sgt_Schultze]

...under the present circumstances I do not see myself playing for the Ravens."

This is the money phrase. This whole event is contract posturing. When TO gets a Ravens package similar to the one he was entertaining from Philly, he will be wearing black this season.

[expatpat]

But do the Ravens want to pay that much?

[Hatteras]

Heh, heh, heh Baltimore... Has T.O. been talking to John Elway?

Do you think Jamaal Lewis' going to jail would have anything to do with this. No run threat means constant double-teaming with a third rate QB no less...

By the way, is Joe Gibbs talking with Warren Sapp? Lord, I hope not but that was one of the rumors floating around.

[Tribune7]

ping

[Poodlebrain]

Yes, apparently the agent missed a contractual deadline. That being the case, Owens and his agent had definitely given the 49ers notice that he intended to exercise the option to void his contract. Owens' contract had a notification date before the NFL's mandatory date for written notification. I'll bet the arbitrator will rule that the verbal notification in advance of the contract date and written notification by NFL deadline is suffificent to void Owens' contract, and he'll be granted free agency.

[NCC-1701]

This couldn't have happened to a better guy. If this ends up hurting San Francisco and Phily, so be it. A deal is a deal so as far as TO goes, he can either accept the deal or sit out this year. If he goes to Baltimore, he won't get to strut his arrogant self on the star at Texas Stadium until 2005 or 2006. By that time, he'll be a marginal reciever and ripe for a good hit. Something must be wrong in SF for them to let him go. Boo hoo hoo. If he somehow ends up in Dallas, I'll welcome him aboard. He'd look good in a Cowboys uniform. As a Dallas Cowboys fan, I say better ye than thee. Can't wait for the season to start.

[SengirV]

Yes, apparently the agent missed a contractual deadline. That being the case, Owens and his agent had definitely given the 49ers notice that he intended to exercise the option to void his contract. Owens' contract had a notification date before the NFL's mandatory date for written notification. I'll bet the arbitrator will rule that the verbal notification in advance of the contract date and written notification by NFL deadline is suffificent to void Owens' contract, and he'll be granted free agency.

Here are a couple more facts. The contract that TO signed had the opt out date sometime around now, not Feb. 21st. It was the NFLPA(Union) who made a separate contract with the NFL that changed all these dates to Feb. 21st. The sticking point is that the head of the NFLPA(Union) claimed to have faxed the date change to the Agent. Apparently, the NFLPA can not notify the agents by fax(it's own rules). And these notifications must be made to all agents, not faxed, and not to selective agents.

I agree, TO's idiot agent should have been more proactive. But these agents are licenced by the NFLPA, and if the NFLPA certifies idiots then there could be issue here since TO can produce a signed contract with his name on it saying the opt out date was around this date in March and, as you said, he did give verbal notification that he wanted out.

All that being said - I think that at a minimum all future date changes made by the NFLPA will need to be confirmed by all of it's "Licenced" agents.

[SCHROLL]

Screw TO. He and his agent blew it by not getting the paperwork done. If the NFLPA gets this overturned the owners should start telling players their contracts are voided all together then push for the NFLPA to be decertified. Once that's done, cap the players salaries to no more than 200K with a 10% raise per year played.

[Sgt_Schultze]

Don't they have to? Their entire offense revolves around some guy named Lewis (come to think of it, so does their defense). The offensive Lewis is going to the big house, the brainy Lewis skedaddled to Cincy ... will the last Lewis out of Baltimore please pull up the tarp?

[Blue Scourge]

As I 49er fan I can say that I could care less if he ever plays again.

[Blue Scourge]

.....As (a) 49er fan....spelling is my friend...