The T.O. Saga ContinuesSo, by now we've all heard about T.O.'s alleged suicide attempt/alleged pain killer over-dose/alleged allergic reaction/bout with depression/25 million reasons to be alive....
Ugh.
I gotta say this, though. T.O. is obviously missing some vital human instincts. His idea of what 'should' happen vs. what actually makes sense are almost always at odds. But it's not that surprising.
I was watching 'Outside The Lines' on ESPN2 the other night, and they had a 1 hour program on T.O.'s childhood, adolescent life and college maturation. Having watched it, there is no doubt in my mind that his problems stem from a complete lack of stable family life. T.O.'s father lived across the street from him, but Owens didn't meet him until he was 12 years old. He wasn't allowed to go out and play with the other kids. He never really played sports. He was ridiculed and bullied at school. His life was a self-esteem nightmare.
It might seem like I'm making excuses for T.O., but I'm not. Lots of people live a rough life and still turn out great. I just think it's very important that we look at this guy with realistic eyes. As a Philadelphia fan, T.O. is my least favorite professional athlete. But he's not my least favorite human being. He's obviously got a very sensitive, very impressionable, very awkward side to him and he clearly lets his insecurities get in the way of what could have been an flawless career. We need to look at a guy like T.O. and learn the right lessons. We have to realize that T.O. is not just an independent character, acting this way for no reason. He's been influenced by different things his entire life. Some good things, but MANY, MANY negative things. As coaches, parents, players and observers, we must realize that there are plenty of T.O.'s out there and it's our job to stem the insecurities, selfishness and hurt as much as we can. Sports are supposed to be a metaphor for life. Somewhere along the line, the Drew Rosenhauses of the world painted a poor picture of what life is meant to be, and T.O. chose to go with it. "25 million reasons to be alive"... that quote right there shows without a shadow of a doubt that T.O. is surrounded by people who have NO idea what he needs.
Again, I'm not making excuses for him. T.O. had a rough life. Boo-hoo. HE still has to take responsibility for his decisions, and he MUST realize the negative impact that he is having on his future, his family, his teammates and his health. He must be as willing to work on his character as he is on his body. That is his responsibility. For every individual, life is about making the choices that get us out of the tough spots, not making the excuses that keep us there. People like Andy Reid, Bill Parcells, Steve Young, Steve Mariucci, Donovan McNabb and Jeff Garcia all know that.... which is why they all seem to be at odds with T.O.
OUR responsibility is to learn from him. Find a way to curb the "ego-maniac in training" that plays on your 6th grade basketball team. Take those loner athletes under your wing. Find a way to make a difference to those kids who might not have the same exposure to great role models. It may not make a difference every time, but in the long haul, the T.O.'s of tomorrow will be fewer and further between if our society learns from him. If we don't learn, I suspect that this sideshow will only repeat itself over and over and over....
I hope T.O. is able to adjust, but I sincerely doubt it will happen anytime soon. He's headed down the same road Mike Tyson went down... I just hope that he can get out of the spotlight and find some peace in the near future.
Just not before week 5. :) Go Eagles!
-The Camp Guy
