It’s been 11 years since Terrell Owens and Donovan McNabb were teammates with the Eagles, but the relationship between the receiver and quarterback remains a topic of conversation in Philadelphia.
Owens appeared on 97.5 The Fanatic in Philadelphia today and said that his departure from the Eagles had to do with a strained relationship with McNabb. And his strained relationship with McNabb, Owens believes, stems from jealousy that Owens became a bigger star in Philadelphia.
“Maybe he had something against me, I never had ill will against Donovan,” Owens said. “I think it was just the way the city embraced me as opposed to when he got drafted and they booed him, and things like that may have weighed on him. To be in that stadium, Lincoln Financial, and have 70,000 fans chant my name, “T.O., T.O.,” maybe that got under his skin a little bit.”
Owens said he believes the players on the Eagles knew that Owens wasn’t a locker room cancer and that the real issue was that management chose McNabb over Owens.
“I think everyone sees and knows that it really wasn’t my fault,” Owens said. “Donovan was their guy. I was pretty much the scapegoat.”
Owens made those comments on a show with Brian Westbrook, who was also on those Eagles teams, and although Westbrook didn’t say anything negative about McNabb, he did heap praise on Owens as “a great teammate,” suggesting that Westbrook agreed with Owens’ side of the story.
Of course, it went unmentioned that Owens became a thorn in the side of the Eagles’ management and coaches with his complaining about his contract, and that Owens wore out his welcome in several NFL stops, not just in Philadelphia. That can’t all be blamed on McNabb.
Regardless of the reasons, it’s a shame for Philly fans that McNabb and Owens couldn’t make it work. When the Eagles got to the Super Bowl after the 2004 season, they looked like they had the potential to be an NFL powerhouse for years to come. Instead, Owens was sent packing less than a year later, and the Eagles haven’t been back to the Super Bowl since.
