04/20/24
July 21, 2008
Terrell Owens is a sweet, sweet man.: If you get mowed down by a Honda Civic, you'd be extremely lucky to have Terrell Owens nearby.
Owens may be the one thing the Cowboys don't have to worry about at the moment. He's not as bad now as he once was. In fact, if he were traded to the Bengals, the trade would fall through. He exceeds their character and personal integrity hiring guidelines for the wideout position.
posted by beaverboard at 09:40 PM on July 21, 2008
I think he just reacted like anyone else would who was closest/first on the scene. So he gets a check mark in the good column in the big book of life.
posted by steelergirl at 11:43 PM on July 21, 2008
Steelergirl- I could not have said it better myself. It does not make him a better teammate. Not being a great teammate does not mean he is a crappy human being. It humanizes him and I am glad he did what he did in this situation. I agree a big check mark in the book of life.
posted by MMAFighter/Coach at 01:17 AM on July 22, 2008
I don't even really know who this bloke is but he's clearly not very popular on SpoFi. However, he did the right thing for which he deserves credit.
posted by squealy at 03:01 AM on July 22, 2008
well, at least he's proven he has a fraction of a soul. though as an eagles fan, i'm obliged to remain unwavering in my disgust and hatred for t.o Dude, get over it. This situation has nothing to do with football and everything to do with him being human and seeing someone who's life was in jeopardy. There is life outside of football and we should all remember that just because these great athletes perform super human feats between the lines, they are still human.
posted by BornIcon at 06:24 AM on July 22, 2008
I think he just reacted like anyone else would who was closest/first on the scene. I'd like to think that, but how many times do we hear about injured or dying people being ignored by passers-by? I'm glad to hear that T.O. did the right thing for an injured person, and even stayed after learning he was a sports journalist. ;-).
posted by rcade at 07:39 AM on July 22, 2008
rcade, maybe I should have said "reacted like anyone else with a consience wold have..." I like to think the initial reaction of anyone is "I need to do something!" and only after does the "maybe I shouldn't get involved" thought kick in, especially in this ligitious day and age. Yes, gracious of him to stay upon learning the victim was a sports journalist. The very people who watch him like a specimen under a microscope.
posted by steelergirl at 08:51 AM on July 22, 2008
Did any of you read the comments under the article? It makes me wonder if people actually know what they are reading. I don't know who MJD is, and I don't really care. But here you have an example of a sportswriter who has TO to thank for being his good samaritan, and now seems to see that he is a compassionate human. Meanwhile, this MJD person remembers to invoke his right to be snarky in the light of a positive story. Anyway, good on TO. Seems as though maybe he's matured a bit.
posted by THX-1138 at 11:34 AM on July 22, 2008
I will preface this comment with a disclaimer: I have no real feelings, either negative or positive, about TO. I do recognize his skill, and I am aware of his past supposed transgressions and documented altercations with teammates and the media. I think he just reacted like anyone else would who was closest/first on the scene. So he gets a check mark in the good column in the big book of life. I can't help but be reminded of the Chris Rock stand-up routine where he rips on men who are so freaking proud of doing something you are supposed to do. "I take care of my kids." ; "I ain't never been in jail" just to name a few. I do not wish to take anything away from TO and his actions in the moment. Instead I applaud him for leaving the scene after determining the person was not seriously injured before media could slide him under their 'microscope'. I just hope that this occurence doesn't canonize him. He, along with everyone else, is supposed to help in the face of adversity.
posted by knowsalittle at 11:45 AM on July 22, 2008
/walks in ready to berate TO about whatever stupid and selfish thing that he's done now. Oh bloody hell, he hasn't given us anything to piss and moan about in like two years. /sticks hands in pockets. Kicks dirt, but walks away feeling a little better about the human race.
posted by MrFrisby at 12:19 PM on July 22, 2008
He, along with everyone else, is supposed to help in the face of adversity. No, common decency makes someone "help in the face of adversity" or if that's your job. Not many people would take the time to help someone that's injured. How many times have we drove past someone on the side of the highway because their car broke down or they had a flat? Now, how many of us actually pull over to the side of the road to assist these individuals in distress? This was a good thing for TO to do and just like anyone that takes the time to help another person in need of help....he deserves the football to be thrown to him a little more this season.
posted by BornIcon at 12:26 PM on July 22, 2008
What BornIcon said.
posted by irunfromclones at 12:44 PM on July 22, 2008
Sorry, but I do pull over to help out every chance I get. I guess I am the idiot for expecting the best from humanity on a regular basis instead of lame excuses and lowered expectations. Please excuse me for caring enough to expect other to do so.
posted by knowsalittle at 12:55 PM on July 22, 2008
Whoa, knowsalittle, nobody is calling you an idiot. It's just a different side to your view. I think what BI is pointing out is that reality would seem to prove that many people would not help someone in trouble because they may be fearful of involvement, ignorant of what their help could be worth, or apathetic. I just didn't see anyone showing any contempt for your willingness to be helpful.
posted by THX-1138 at 01:20 PM on July 22, 2008
I did not intend to show any animosity toward anyone who may have an opposing point of view, nor did I perceive anyone calling me an idiot (that was my vernacular of choce). Nevermind. I withdraw my comments on this issue. Whatever TO did was OK.
posted by knowsalittle at 01:39 PM on July 22, 2008
knowsalittle, no, he didn't have to help. No one has to help anybody, especially now in this day of "...everybody sues over every little thing these days..."-Hank Jr. And even if Joe Someguyonthestreet helped him, he too, would deserve a check mark in the good column in the big book of life. I'm not trying to cannonize anyone. But I do think a tally is kept of the good actions v. bad actions as we move through life.
posted by steelergirl at 01:50 PM on July 22, 2008
A few years ago I was bartending at a restaurant when TO and his "date" walked in. Turns out his "date" was his sister (or half-sister, or something) who lives in my hometown and TO was visiting for a few days. They took a booth in a corner of the bar, enjoyed their meal and a couple of cocktails, and TO graciously hung out for about half an hour afterwards signing autographs for the waitstaff and shaking hands with well-wishers. He was friendly, personable, and a good tipper. I'd figured him to be a spoiled loudmouth, but that evening changed my perception of the guy. Contrast that with a story I heard from a friend of mine, a waiter in a tres chic restaurant in South Florida -- he called me all excited one night to say that Eli and Peyton Manning had been in earlier drinking up a storm, asking if anyone knew where to find any blow, and were currently sitting parked in their Escalade in the alley out back getting their knobs slobbed by a couple of Florida's finest escorts. On-screen personae may differ markedly from off-screen behavior.
posted by BitterOldPunk at 02:28 PM on July 22, 2008
Eli and Peyton Manning had been in earlier drinking up a storm, asking if anyone knew where to find any blow, and were currently sitting parked in their Escalade in the alley out back getting their knobs slobbed by a couple of Florida's finest escorts. BOP, maybe he got his info confused. Maybe the Manning boys were not looking for some blow, but to get blown. Not that it would take the dents out of their halos.
posted by THX-1138 at 03:18 PM on July 22, 2008
I think he just reacted like anyone else would who was closest/first on the scene. I just read an article a few days back about this. It was describing how everyone is appalled by the lack of compassion in recent headlines a) the man hit by a car on camera where nobody even goes over to him as he lies in the middle of the street b) the woman who collapsed at a medical facility dying while medical personnel and bystanders passed by without doing anything. The article stated that people, in a group, are prone to NOT do anything if nobody else is doing anything. It discussed the nature of us being pack animals and the unconscious need to conform and that people say "how could they do that! I would have run over!" when in reality most people's initial reaction would be to react how the people around you are reacting. So in other words, if someone runs over there, then others would snap-to and run over there. If everyone stays back, instinctively you sort of stay back because you don't know what you're supposed to do. It indicated that studies show that people tend to do the "right thing" in these situations more often when they are alone versus when others are around. Anyways, the point of the article is that the FIRST person to run over really is the HERO in this sense as they break away from that unconscious need to conform to do what is RIGHT. So kudo's to T.O. for being the hero in this instance :-)
posted by bdaddy at 03:42 PM on July 22, 2008
bdaddy: Anyways, the point of the article is that the FIRST person to run over really is the HERO in this sense as they break away from that unconscious need to conform to do what is RIGHTBdaddy makes a good point, although I don't think it's about conforming to what's RIGHT- we all know what Terrell Owens did was "right". Rather, time and again studies and real life have shown that a crowd of people will all stand by and do nothing because there's some subconscious block that prevents people from being the first to act. I've heard that if you're being attacked, or if you need help, the best thing to do is pick one person- it doesn't matter who- and address them specifically. If you do that, even if that person freezes up, it'll trigger someone else to say "Why aren't you doing anything?" and then that person will step up. It's called the bystander effect, and it's unusual for one person to take the initiative immediately (even though we all know what's right, and any of us in that situation will kick ourselves for not having acted immediately)
BitterOldPunk: Eli and Peyton Manning had been in earlier drinking up a storm, asking if anyone knew where to find any blow, and were currently sitting parked in their Escalade in the alley out back getting their knobs slobbed by a couple of Florida's finest escorts.Sounds like T.O. is a decent person who knows how to behave. But I can't rip on the Mannings too much, except for their indiscretion and crassness. Lord knows if I was a millionaire sports star, I'd be gracious and polite to waitstaff, keep a public face that was smiling, appreciative of fans, etc... but back at my hotel room I'd be waist-deep in a tangle of the finest escorts that city had to offer. I dream of what it would be like simply to have the ability to throw a baseball 100m.p.h. and how that would change my life. If I were a pro athlete I'd be getting my knob slobbed several times a day, in my car, at my house, etc. But I wouldn't make a spectacle of it in public, and I certainly wouldn't be asking for blow and being overall exactly the kind of loud, arrogant, gaudy punk that people hate. Also, the Mannings were getting blown in the same car? That seems really kinda gay. Fuckin' Mannings have shit on the Patriots Superbowl hopes the last two years, so I may be a touch bitter...
posted by hincandenza at 05:57 PM on July 22, 2008
I don't react well in pressure situations. It really is unfortunate. I think back at the few times I have been in a situation where I should have been better, and I still get mad at myself about it. So, I have no problem commending TO for reacting well and helping out. I'm not surprised though because everything I have heard about his non-football side indicates that he is a genuinely good person.
posted by bperk at 07:45 PM on July 22, 2008
It's called the bystander effect Thanks for that link Hal. I know the Kitty Genovese story, but I always seem to forget her name.
posted by goddam at 11:14 PM on July 22, 2008
Also, the Mannings were getting blown in the same car? That seems really kinda gay. As I understand it, they held hands throughout, and orgasmed together.
posted by The_Black_Hand at 08:28 AM on July 23, 2008
Lord knows if I was a millionaire sports star, I'd be gracious and polite to waitstaff, keep a public face that was smiling, appreciative of fans, etc... but back at my hotel room I'd be waist-deep in a tangle of the finest escorts that city had to offer my buddies and I used to make the same joke about Janikowski's constant headlines. We would make fun of him, then joke that if we were a young NFL kicker we'd make the headlines every single day :-) Can you imagine how much trouble we got into in our early 20's and that was when we were broke and had to search couch cushions just to scrape together enough for a case of old milwaukee's best? I think back at the few times I have been in a situation where I should have been better, and I still get mad at myself about it Had my share as well. I remember an old lady in the airport falling down and I experienced the bystander affect as I stood and stared, not sure what to do, until I saw another man run over to help. Afterwards I thought "Why didn't I react like that initially?" So, like I said, Kudo's to T.O. as apparently he's a better man than me.
posted by bdaddy at 09:07 AM on July 23, 2008
As I understand it, they held hands throughout, and orgasmed together. If the old rumors about Peyton and Kenny Chesney are true, then they may have been holding more than hands. :-)
posted by bdaddy at 09:10 AM on July 23, 2008
Sorry, but I do pull over to help out every chance I get. And that's great that you do that. I'm not saying that people who go out of their way to help other people are idiots, I commend people who do such things. /what THX-1138 said.
posted by BornIcon at 10:29 AM on July 23, 2008
knowsalittle: Sorry, but I do pull over to help out every chance I get. I guess I am the idiot for expecting the best from humanity on a regular basis instead of lame excuses and lowered expectations. Please excuse me for caring enough to expect other to do so. I don't think caring has a whole lot to do with it, much of the time. I'd say knowing what to do has a lot more to do with it -- people who have the training will automatically step in, people who don't are a lot less likely to. Also, and this may shock you, but a lot of so-called "first aid" training consists of telling people that they should call 911 and not move the patient. That's about 90% of the "treatment" that you'll learn in a Red Cross street first aid course. There's enough emphasis on not intervening that I can see that making people, even people who have first aid training, hesitate to step in.
posted by lil_brown_bat at 10:40 AM on July 23, 2008
well, at least he's proven he has a fraction of a soul. though as an eagles fan, i'm obliged to remain unwavering in my disgust and hatred for t.o.