Owens Denies Suicide Attempt, Blames Allergic Reaction to Pills
This article is from the archive of The New York Sun before the launch of its new website in 2022. The Sun has neither altered nor updated such articles but will seek to correct any errors, mis-categorizations or other problems introduced during transfer.
DALLAS — Dallas Cowboys receiver Terrell Owens denied a police report yesterday that he attempted suicide, saying he became groggy after mixing painkillers with supplements.
As if to prove he’s doing fine, Mr. Owens went from the hospital to catching passes from quarterback Drew Bledsoe within two hours, then proclaimed himself “very capable of going out there and playing on Sunday” — despite whatever happened Tuesday night and a broken right hand.
Mr. Owens said the confusion likely stemmed from an empty bottle of pain medication found by his publicist, who was with him and called 911. He said the rest of the pills were in a drawer.
“I was nonresponsive when she made that call,” Mr. Owens said. “She made the call out of her judgment for my well-being.”
Appearing in a news conference at team headquarters a few hours after leaving a hospital for what a police report described as “a drug overdose,” Mr. Owens wore workout gear and no bandage on his right hand. The star receiver smiled and seemed more amused than peeved at the latest ruckus surrounding him.
Mr. Owens, 32, blamed a combination of hydrocodone, a generic form of Vicodin, with all-natural supplements for making him ill.
“It’s very unfortunate for it to go from an allergic reaction to a suicide attempt,” he said.
Rescue workers arrived at Mr. Owens’s home around 8 p.m. Tuesday and took him to an emergency room. When word spread, publicist Kim Etheredge said it was an allergic reaction.
But the story shifted yesterday morning when several journalistic outlets received a police report — that had yet to be released by the authorities — saying Mr. Owens had attempted suicide by overdosing on the painkillers, even putting two more pills into his mouth after an unidentified friend, later identified as Ms. Etheredge, intervened.
The police document, first reported by WFAA-TV, said Mr. Owens was asked by rescue workers “if he was attempting to harm himself, at which time [he] stated: ‘Yes.'”
“I was kind of out of it,” Mr. Owens said. “I can barely even remember the doctors, much less the police officers asking me questions.”
Mr. Owens also said he’s “not depressed about anything.”
Mr. Owens broke the bone leading to his right ring finger during a game a week ago Sunday.The next day, doctors screwed in a plate so the bone could heal without fear of further damage — leaving a 2-inch scar on top of his hand.
If he doesn’t play Sunday, Mr. Owens might still return for the following game — October 8, in Philadelphia, against the team that dumped him midway through last season only months after he helped them reach the Super Bowl.
Ms. Etheredge also appeared at Mr. Owens’s news conference, saying she “did not take anything out of his mouth” and that it was unfair for anyone to think Mr. Owens would kill himself.