Below The Fold

In fact, that’s exactly what the NFL did.
The barrage of media mud-slinging over the past two weeks has been cataclysmic in the universal lynching of Terrell Owens. All the pundits and wonks and screechers and haters are all over him—from former players to journalists to the plumber who fixed my sink last week.
But in all this unabashed Owens-bashing, everyone seems to be missing who’s really at fault. Sure, we can all agree that Owens isn’t exactly an expert in diplomacy. But can this conflagration all really be the result of his own ethyl-and-matchstick potion?
The short answer is a resounding no.
Terrell Owens is a product of what the NFL has become. His earlier incarnation, Keyshawn “Give-Me-The-Damned-Ball” Johnson, was just a glimpse of the future. A future that is going to become dominated with players of their ilk—men who put individual accomplishment above the needs of the team, men who won’t sit idly by waiting patiently for their turn, and when it doesn’t come, jump all over those who have skipped them over.
The Eagles are first to blame.
They went looking for Terrell Owens. They lobbied for him, snatched him away from the Ravens and propped him up on their pedestal, touting his receiving greatness and swearing the path to the Super Bowl is paved with his golden handprints. And they got exactly what they went after—arguably the best receiver in the game, a man whose mere presence on the field stretched defenses, gave the Eagles a Lazarusian running game and certainly enabled the team to gain the momentum to plow through the post season. Then, he even came back early from a busted wheel to amass over 100 yards and 9 catches with a metal plate and screws in his ankle doing his best to get that ring.
The Eagles got exactly what they went after. A loudmouthed superstar who wanted all eyes focused on him. Terrell Owens didn’t turn into this guy after he landed in Philly. He flew there on the wings of egos.
And then, there’s the NFL to blame. Constantly preaching the team ethic—the good of the many outweighs the good of the one. No man is bigger than The Team. Blah, blah, blah.
And while everyone pays lip service to this, the agents and GMs work out incentive-laden contracts that protect The Team interests while providing returns based on players’ INDIVIDUAL PERFORMANCES. You want that $1 million bonus, Sam? You’re gonna have to bust 1150 yards receiving this year. You want that extra $500,000, Chuck? Better make sure you see the end zone 12 times. You want that $3 million bonus, Johnny? Better get your rating over 99…
And when players look to try to create their own on-the-field team unity, they get penalized for it. Celebrate your touchdowns as an individual. If you do it with the guys who helped get you there, you’re gonna march back 15 yards on the kickoff, fellas.
The NFL revolutionized pro team sports with its successful application of the salary cap. (note to Major League Baseball: Please get a clue. Please. Seriously.) Parity (Patriots notwithstanding) is stronger than in any other sport.
But the unfortunate side effect of all this is a league that has become Dr. Frankenstein. And now, the monster is loose, and the only person the good doctor has to blame for it is himself.