Time Off for T.O.

An arbitrator ruled in favor of the Philadelphia Eagles today, giving them permission to keep Terrell Owens on the inactive list.

I want to give kudos to Richard Bloch for getting the story right. Hopefully, for the Eagles sake, they've learned their lesson and are moving on. (Actually, as a Pittsburgh fan, what do I care? Trade him for Randy Moss, Eagles!)

T.O. complained that the Eagles were a "classless organization." Ironically, I thought the same thing when they worked out a deal with Baltimore to acquire Owens. TO demanded out of San Fransisco (nothing new for today's athlete). When the team obliged, and shipped him off to Baltimore, he decided that wasn't acceptable. Philadelphia knew they were getting a self-centered prima donna when they traded for him. Should they have been surprised when he demanded a new contract one year after signing his last one?

I have no room for egos (Probably because mine is hogging the whole couch!). If I had been Andy Reid, I would have said, the day after TO caught his 100th touchdown, unacknowledged by the Eagles team: "We all know TO and did not find it necessary to acknowledge his accomplishments. We knew he could handle that part all on his own." Luckily, for the Eagles, Reid took a higher road.

Whether sports, ministry, marriage, work, you name it; character matters. It can't be replaced. It most cases it can't be taught. You may get lucky for a year or two (read here: Maurice Clarett), but eventually, you pay (read here: Maurice Clarett).

So it looks like Philly has learned their lesson. Maybe with his extra time, TO could drive up to Milwaukee and buy Latrell Sprewell (and his family that requires more than $7 million a year to feed, according to Spree) a Thanksgiving dinner. For it appears the whole NBA may have learned a lesson too.