On Tuesday night the last thing I saw before I went to bed was “Breaking News“, “Terrell Owens hospitalized”, “Reasons unknown at this time”. My first immediate reaction was it was involving his surgically repaired hand.
But when I wake up today and turn on my t.v. I see another segment on ESPN, “Breaking News”, “Terrell Owens hospitalized for attempted suicide”. I was and still am in complete shock.
It is reported that Terrell attepted suicide by overdosing on perscription pain medication. The persctioption was for 40 pills, but he had only taken 5, but when a friend, who is not identified in the police report, “noticed that [his] prescription pain medication was empty and observed[Owens] putting two pills in his mouth,” the police report said.
Owens’ friend attempted to pry the two pills out of his mouth with her fingers. When fire rescue workers arrived they asked Terrell “if he was attempting to harm himself, at the time [he] stated, ‘Yes.”
KTVT- TV in Dallas reported that the women that found Owens is beleived to be his publicist Kim Etheridge. Etheridge called police at 7:51 p.m. to report a suicide attempt. KTVT-TV reported that Owens ingested at least 35 pills.
Terrell Owens was released from the hospital early this morning.
When the story was first broke, it was reported that he was taken to an emergency late Tuesday night. A source close to Owens told ESPN’s Ed Werder early Wednesday morning that he was suffering an adverse reaction to painkillers taken for treatmen of his fractured hand.
On an online edition of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Etheridge said “this is not serieous”. This was said before news of the attempted suicide was released. Doctors treating the Dallas Cowboys wide receiver were trying to induce vomiting when he arrived at Baylor Medical Center, according to a television report.
The Dallas Cowboys have called a 2:30 p.m. ET news conference. I will have more information after the conference.
This is the offical Polic Report.
Well now there is more conflicting information out. T.O.’s publicist, Kim Etheridge, has released a statement to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram and the The Dallas Morning News saying that the reports of an attempted suicide were false. She also told them that Owens is “fine.”
Etheridge said she called 911 because Owens was groggy and lethargic. After taking some supplements “it kicked in a reaction” with the painkilles that he was already taking, she told the Star- Telegram.
“Here’s a person whose body is so clean, it really had a negative reaction to the medication and supplements he was taking,” Etheridge told The Morning News. “Thank goodness someone was there to call an ambulance.”
Owens was released from the hospital Wednesday morning and was seen giving the “thumbs up” to reporters. He made no comment as he got into a waiting SUV and was driven away.
Dallas Police Lt. Rick Watson said he could only confirm that paramedics called police to say they were taking Owens to the hospital. He also said he would be “limited” to what he said due to privacy laws. He also stated that the police would have no more detail because no laws were broken. Attempted suicide is not a crime in Texas.
ESPN’s own Michael Irvin said that Owens denied he attempted suicide and said he was rushed to the hospital as a result of an adverse reaction to medication. And a source close to Owens told ESPN.com’s Michael A. Smith that Owens wasn’t attempting suicide.
Shortley after Irvin’s comments, another former Cowboy and current NFL Network analyst Deion Sanders said he had spoke with Owens shortley after being released from Baylor Hospital and that Owens was in good spirits.
“The fact that it has been reported a suicide attempt, he’s laughed at that notion. It was a case that medication that was taken wasn’t accepted well in his system with the other vitamins he’s on,”Sanders said.
Cowboys Head Coach Bill Parcells said he didn’t know any more details, other than it was “apparently an unfortunate set of circumstances.” He said it was way too early to tell whether Owens might be able to practice this week or even play this coming Sunday against Tennessee.
“I don’t have enogh information yet,” he said. “I wouldn’t [decide] anything right now. I’m talking with a good deal of ignorance on the subject.”
After reportes kept asking the same questions that Parcells had previously already answered that he had no information on, he walked out of the room and said he was “When I find out what the hell is going on, you will know then, I’m not getting interrogated for no reason.”
Another update will be posted after the conference.
