8A
SPORTS
THE UNIVERSITY BAKERY KANSAS
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 28, 2006
THE RANT
Fans must respect athletes, abandon personal criticism
Most of the time fans look just at the athlete and not at the person inside. No example has been more apparent than Terrell Owens. He has been judged as a clubhouse cancer for years, and for good reason.
I don't like Owens and I never have, but I think all too often people overlook these athletes' human qualities.
On Wednesday morning it was reported that Owens attempted to commit suicide through the use of pain medication. By the afternoon he had called a press conference to explain the situation as a misunderstanding.
Whether it's true or not, Owens clearly has a problem that should be sympathized with, no matter how you feel about Owens and his antics that have plagued the San Francisco 49ers, the Philadelphia Eagles and now the Dallas Cowboys these past few years.
What Owens has done to those three franchises is wrong, and I would never want him on a team of which I was a fan. But we have to look past those issues when a serious story like this occurs.
The money and the fame appeared not to be enough for Owens, and his psychological problems may have come to the forefront of his mind on Tuesday evening.
Athletes have feelings and personal problems that we ignore. The only personal problem we usually hear about among athletes is
BY RYAN COLAIANNI
KANSAN COLUMNIST
RCOLAIANNI@KANSAN.COM
substance abuse after athletes are arrested. Fans look at athletes as inhuman, as not having any internal problems. Fans think there is no way an athlete could be depressed, not with the fame and fortune that comes with being an athlete.
Owens' story is unique in that it might give people the opportunity to look at a troubled athlete in a different light.
Even at the collegiate level, here at Kansas, fans often ignore the personal feelings of athletes.
Take, for example, David Padgett during the '03-'04 basketball season. Padgett was ridiculed throughout the season by students in the Free for All. I agreed that his play on the court was sub-par, but considering the expectations that accompanied him to campus, the comments often were personal and offensive.
After that season Padgett transferred to Louisville. It is not clear why Padgett transferred; he claimed he wanted to face the basket more and be less of a post player. However, it has to be difficult to live in a community where you are afraid to step out of your residence hall because you are not sure what
might be shouted at you.
Kansas kicker Johnny Beck struggled during his final three seasons on campus and was also a scapegoat for students and fans. I remember talking to him at media day before his senior season, and he was asked about the criticism he heard the previous two seasons. He said the University was "their school," in response to the question. That shocked me, Beck appeared to not even consider himself a member of the student body or a part of the university. I don't know whether it was due to the comments or due to his feelings of alienation, but it was alarming that he said 'their school' when he spent four years here.
I understand criticizing athletes. It is a right of passage for fans. But going overboard should not be tolerated, especially when a situation like Owens' arrives.
I know some fans might be happy with Owens' problem, but those fans are insensitive and wrong. Wishing for a man to have psychological problems and to be pushed so far overboard is a serious matter and should not be encouraged. Fans should continue to cheer their teams on and offer criticism, but it should never become personal.
Colaianni is a McLean, Va. senior in journalism and political science.
Edited by Derek Korte
Owens denies suicide attempt
Tony Gutierrez/Associated Press
Dallas Cowboys' Terrell Owens stands by as his publicist talks with reporters during a news conference at the Cowboys training facility.
>> NFL
Police report states 'drug overdose' for Dallas Cowboys receiver
FREE HAIRCUTS
DALLAS — Dallas Cowboys receiver Terrell Owens denied a police report Wednesday that he attempted suicide, saying he became groggy after mixing painkillers with supplements.
As if to prove he's doing fine, Owens went from the hospital to catching passes from quarterback Drew Bledsoe within two hours, then proclaimed himself "very capable of going out there and playing on Sunday" — despite whatever happened Tuesday night and a broken right hand.
pain medication found by his publicist, who was with him at the time and called 911. He said the rest of the pills were in a drawer.
"I was non-responsive when she made that call," Owens said. "She made the call out of her judgment for my well-being."
Appearing in a news conference at team headquarters a few hours after leaving a hospital for what a police report described as "a drug overdose", Owens wore workout gear and no bandage on his right hand. The star receiver smiled and seemed more amused than peeved at the latest ruckus surrounding him.
Owens, 32, blamed a combination of hydrocodone, a generic form of Vicodin, with all-natural
supplements for making him ill.
Owens said the confusion likely stemmed from an empty bottle of
"It's very unfortunate for it to go from an allergic reaction to a suicide attempt," he said.
Rescue workers arrived at Owens' home around 8 p.m. Tuesday and took him to an emergency room. When word spread, publicist Kim Etheredge said it was an allergic reaction.
But the story shifted Wednesday morning when several media outlets received a police report that had yet to be released by the authorities — saying Owens had attempted suicide by overdosing on the painkillers, even putting two more pills into his mouth after an unidentified friend, later identified as Etheredge, intervened.
HEADMASTERS aveda concept salon
LIBERTY HALL 644 Mass
749-1912
WHO KILLED THE ELECTRIC CAR (PHD)
NO SHOWS
LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE(PH)
4:40 7:10 9:40
Do you know who championed food stamps and nutrition programs for women, infants,and children?