McNabb says Owens' criticism amounts to 'black-on-black crime'

Sign on San Diego ^ | 5:11 p.m. February 1, 2006 | AP

[Perdogg]

DETROIT – Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb injected a race element into his rift with Terrell Owens on Wednesday, saying the receiver's criticism amounted to “black-on-black crime.” In an interview with ESPN, McNabb rehashed some of the low moments of his relationship with his teammate, making fun of Owens' driveway apology and bringing up the race angle.

In November, responding to a question from Michael Irvin during an ESPN interview, Owens said Philadelphia would likely be in a better situation if Brett Favre was the quarterback instead of the banged-up McNabb.

“It was like, it's unreal,” McNabb said. “That's like me going out and saying, 'Hey, if we had Steve Largent. If we had Joe Jurevicius. It was definitely a slap in the face to me. It was a slap in the face because, as deep as people want to go into it, it was black-on-black crime.”

Not long after that, an NAACP leader criticized McNabb for “playing the race card” in explaining why he didn't run the ball as often as he used to.

In November, the Eagles suspended Owens for the remainder of the season for his repeated criticism of the team, McNabb and several other issues. The team recently gave Owens permission to seek a trade, and this week he visited the Denver Broncos.

On Wednesday, McNabb brought up some of the criticism he had taken through his career, and said Owens was simply piling on with his statement.

“It's different to say, 'If we had Michael Vick or Daunte Culpepper or Steve McNair or Byron Leftwich,” McNabb said of four black starting quarterbacks. “But to go straight to Brett Favre, that kind of just slapped me in the face like, 'Wow ...'”

Owens apologized twice publicly – once after his preseason holdout and then again, in his driveway, after he was suspended.

“The first apology, that was to the organization,” McNabb said. “Then, I was thrown in there – 'If I offended Donovan in any way' – you know. Instead of that, you could have just told me, hey, I apologize for the way it came out. I didn't mean it that way. Just come talk to me.”

[CSM]

“It's different to say, 'If we had Michael Vick or Daunte Culpepper or Steve McNair or Byron Leftwich,” McNabb said of four black starting quarterbacks. “But to go straight to Brett Favre, that kind of just slapped me in the face like, 'Wow ...'”

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Once again, Rush is proven right. Even Donovan himself considers his Race as an important factor in his career.

[cgk]

Yet they support Sharpton, Jackson, and many other blacks who "play it" on a regular basis.

Can't blame McNabb; he's learned from the Masters - he's just... PLAYING IT FORWARD! :D

[Diplomat]

From the very beginning of all this I was one of the few who consistantly stated that the Eagle's organization and McNabb are the real problem. I defended T.O. because this is a guy who always gives 100% the moment he steps onto the field. The same cannot be said of McNabb, or for that matter, some of the other top-tier NFL WRs.

The only person on the Eagles who is obviously a bigot is McNabb. But I'm sure he's too stupid to realize it.

Yes McNabb, your team sucks because of Owens. Keep living in your fantasy world. I'll bet he also feels that if Lynn Swan is elected governor of Pennsylvania, that too would be a "black-on-black" crime.

[Perdogg]

I remember last summer when Barry Bonds was recovering from surgery and just unloaded on the press. It was a combo of PT and buildup frustration. I wonder if the same happened to DM. McNabb is a excellent athlete. I am not trying to be racial in saying he's a good athlete but lack the brain power to be OB. Just the opposite. He's too smart to leave the pocket on a whim. He needs pocket discipline. Until he gets it, he will never take the Eagles to the Super Bowl to win it.

[roadking95th]

The only one racist is McNabb. He basically said in the interview that it would have been one thing to be replaced with Vick, Culpepper, etc...but, GASP, to be compared with white QB, that's going too far TO. Skip Bayless defended McNabb. He said he has been told for several years from black athletes in the NFL that the white media protects Favre. Didn't Rush get fired for saying the same thing but with the colors reversed? Finally, Michael Smith said that with everything a black athlete, especially a black QB, goes through, TO shouldn't be comparing McNabb with Favre, thus implying that a white QB would be better. I used to despise the "representation" of McNabb when he first came into the league, they hyped him before he was even a top 5 QB, much like they do for Vick, but over the years he has proved that he is one of the top QBs playing. That got my respect. Consider it gone now.

[monkapotamus]

This started when T.O. was asked if he agreed with Michael Irvin's comments regarding Favre. Irvin said his comments had nothing to do with race. McNabb injecting race into this is a pathetic attempt to gain sympathy since he knows people will be unlikely to criticize him once race is brought into the picture. It ain't working this time.

[1Old Pro]

McNabb wasn't satisfied with just one jump the shark moment, he's intent on becoming totally irrelelvant sooner rather than later. He has totally cracked up.

[1Old Pro]

Would McCabb have been less offended had Owens invoked James Harris, Doug Williams, or Warren Moon rather than Brett Favre?

Actually, TO never INVOKED anyone, he was RESPONDING to a question that mentioned Farve. Mcnabb should just retire, he's totally finished.

[CFC__VRWC]

Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb injected a race element into his rift with Terrell Owens on Wednesday, saying the receiver's criticism amounted to “black-on-black crime.”

I'd just love to see him deliver that line, with a perfectly straight face, to a black mother who just lost a child caught in the crossfire of a gang banger's drive-by shooting.