Big 3 Sports Blog

  In sports, there have always been players who have been dissatisfied and rebellious wherever they have been.  Even in the best situations, they will find a problem.  Often times they are the problem.  

  Usually after they tear a team apart, they are released or traded.   Fans, sometimes ever the player themselves will say that all they needed was a change of scenery.  The new team may even get a few productive years out of the player, but inevitably it all falls apart.  That’s what these players do.

Terrell Owens was and still is one of the best Wide Receivers to ever play in the NFL.  He had the stats, the work ethic, the longevity, everything.  Well, except one thing.  The ability to get along with his teammates (specifically his Quarterbacks) and team management.  There were problems every step along the way.  His first several years in San Francisco went without much controversy, but when the team started faltering, so did T.O.’s relationship with the team, mostly Quarterback Jeff Garcia.  Owens was eager to leave the 49’ers, but a missed deadline by his agent led to an ugly separation.  The 49’ers, believing they still held his rights, traded him to Baltimore.  Owens, believing he was about to become a free agent, reached a contract agreement with Philadelphia.  This led to an NLFPA grievance, which was settled by an arbitrator, resulting in Owens being an Eagle.  A couple months after that, in a Playboy interview, he made comments about Jeff Garcia’s sexuality.  When asked if he thought Garcia was gay, Owens responded “ If it looks like a rat and smells like a rat, by golly, it is a rat.”  Classy comment about a former teammate.  Back in Philly, Owens was about to have his best year as a pro.  Since the grass is always greener on the other side, the 2004 season went off without a hitch.  No problems, no controversies, nothing.  The Eagles marched all the way to the Super Bowl (where Owens heroically came back from a broken leg just 7 weeks ago), only to lose to the Patriots.  The following off-season however, things took their expected turn.  In an interview Owens made a comment saying he “wasn’t the guy who got tired in the Super Bowl”, a direct shot at Quarterback Donavan McNabb.  That summer, his relationship with the team was soured when Eagles ownership denied his request to play in the NBA Summer League.  Later that summer, recently hired super-agent Drew Rosenhaus attempted to renegotiate Owen’s contract, something the Eagles were unwilling to do.  This led to a holdout threat, an altercation with Coach Andy Reid, a 1-week suspension, Rosenhaus’ classic “Next question” press conference, and Terrell Owens doing sit-ups in his driveway.  Owens did end up playing for the Eagles that season, but the damage to the relationship had been done.  During that season, he got in a fistfight with team ambassador Hugh Douglas, and made comments in the media saying the team would be better if Brett Favre was their Quarterback.  This led to an indefinite suspension by the team.  He never played another game for the Eagles, and was released the following off-season.  Next stop, Dallas.  New team, same issues.  He had a hard time getting along with Bill Parcells, who reportedly ignored Owens most of his time there.  And although there was no doubt his and Tony Romo’s connection on the field was largely productive, there were multiple confrontations between both him and Jason Witten.  Owens felt like Romo was targeting Witten more than he should have been.  Shocker.  And despite Owens’ infamous “That’s my quarterback” press conference, the relationship was too strained to continue.  1 year after he had signed a 4 year extension with the Cowboys, Owner Jerry Jones released him.  Owens later played for the Bills and the Bengals, and was productive for both teams.  But his career will always be looked at as one of controversy, as evidenced by not being an (absolutely deserving) 1^st Ballot Hall of Famer.

Reggie Jackson had one of the more storied careers in MLB history.  He was a Hall of Famer, 5-time World Series winner, 2-time World Series MVP, American League MVP, along with several other awards and accomplishments.  But controversy always seemed to follow him, especially within his own team.  While with the Athletics, he often had trouble getting along with teammates, who grew tired of his showboating and lack of hustle.  This included a dugout brawl with Billy North (catcher Ray Fosse, attempting to breakup the fight, got a crushed disk in his back, landing him on the DL).  Salary disputes with the team caused Oakland to trade Reggie to Baltimore.  He got off on the right foot with the Orioles, by refusing to sign his contract and sitting out the first 4 weeks of the season.  The following off-season, he signed as a free agent with the New York Yankees.  Once again, there was trouble before the season even began.  In a statement still disputed by Reggie to this day, he made his (in)famous “I’m the straw that stirs the drink” comment.  Innocent perhaps, but this drew ire by the Yankees players, as it was looked at as a shot at fan favorite and beloved catcher Thurman Munson.  Throughout his Yankees run, there were multiple, and I mean multiple run-ins with Manager Billy Martin and Owner George Steinbrenner.  To Reggie’s defense on this one, both of those men were notoriously difficult to get along with.  The Yankees earned the nickname ‘The Bronx Zoo’, and Reggie was a large part of it.  Make no mistake, his run with New York was successful.  No doubt about it.  2 World Series wins, a World Series MVP, and one of the better nicknames in history.  Mr. October was a Yankee legend.  Nonetheless, his tenure with the team ended like the others did.  Unhappy.  In his later years Jackson went on to play for the Angels and again for the A’s, with really no reported incidents.  But the best years of Jackson’s career were marred with controversy.

Shaquille O’Neal will be remembered as a lot of things, one of which is being the most dominant Center in NBA history.  For about the first 15 years he played, he was outstanding for every team he suited up for.  But his run with every team ended about the same way, with a bitter divorce.  After being drafted by the Magic, he turned the Orlando franchise around immediately.  After winning Rookie of the Year in 1993, the Magic drafted Penny Hardaway, and were setup to be contenders for the next several years.  After they made the Finals in 1995 (getting swept by the Rockets), the tension started to build.  Shaq was set to be a free agent after the 1996 season, and the team was going to have to make a decision.  How much money are we willing to pay this guy?  Their salary negotiations were very ugly, and very public.  Shaq wanted 7 years, $115 million.  These days, that would be an absolute bargain.  But in 1996, this was big money.  The Orlando Sentinel ran a poll in their paper, and 91% of the respondents said NO, he is not worth that money.   2 days later, he agreed to a 7 year, $121 million contract with the Lakers.  Shaq gave the Magic a chance to match the offer.  They declined.  The first several years with the Lakers not only produced no notable controversies, but produced very high levels of success.  Shaq, teamed up with Kobe Bryant, won 3 consecutive Championships from 2000-2002.  Then it all started to unravel.  Shaq was notorious for showing up for camp out of shape, once quoted as saying “I got hurt on company time, so I’ll heal on company time.”  With his age going up and his conditioning going down, his production started to decline.  The tension between him and Kobe had reached a tipping point as well.  It had been Shaq’s team for years, but Kobe’s performance (and dedication to the game) had overtaken Shaq’s.  Ownership began making decisions Shaq felt were in Kobe’s best interests and not this, and when they declined to give him a pay raise, he demanded a trade.  The Lakers dynasty was over.  Los Angeles traded him to Miami, where he would be paired up with up-and-coming star Dwyane Wade.  The new duo reached the Eastern Conference Finals in their 1^st season together, and followed that up with an NBA Championship the following year.  Everything was harmonious.  He even got to ask Kobe how his ass tastes.  But like it had in the past, things began to sour.  With Shaq’s production at a career low, tension began to mount with him and Coach Pat Riley.  This led to an argument, a poked chest, and a slapped finger.  And ultimately, a trade.  His Heat time was over.  Shaq ended up playing 3 more years with the Suns, Cavaliers, & Celtics.  Nothing controversial to speak of there, but also not much production either.  One of the most dominant players in NBA history, but also one of the more controversial.

  One trend you probably see here, is that all 3 of these players were incredibly successful.  In terms of both individual statistics, and team success.  Absolutely nobody can take that away from any of these players.  But with the good, always came the bad.  Were they worth it though?  Tough to say no.

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