Breaking News - Terrell Owens Rushed to local hospital (1 Viewer)

[Otis]

How much attention do people need in life?Put the dude in a white jacket that buttons in the back and toss him in a padded room and be done with him.

Right now I really, really wish there were some kind of indicator to let me know when it would be ok to call other posters names.

 

[Bertha]

Shame on the media for trying to race each other to get the "story" out. Allergic reaction my ###!

And for those who don't understand depression, and think it's just a thing you have to "deal with" and criticize medication -- you really don't know what the hell you are talking about.

Best of luck, T.O. I hope you recover from this and get the help you need.

 

[menobrown]

Being a mental health professional who does crisis evaluations with an emergency room, it sounds to me that TO did attempt suicide.

In your line of work have you ever known of someone who committed suicide by overdosing on hydrocodone while someone else was present in the room? If you are trying to kill yourself with pills thats the kind of thing you do alone.

 

[Justloveit]

Local Dallas ESPN radio saying Etheridge, T.O.'s publicist, says it wasn't a suicide attempt, and it was just a bad reaction to the combination of his supplements and pain medication.

Not surprising. The Dallas Cowboys Organziation has to spin this. I'm a die hard Cowboy fan I think it's the only way to go with it.

Why would the Cowboys need to spin this?

Let's see eitherA) Our star WR is suicidal and has serious mental issuesorB) Our star WR mistakenly took to many pain medsI'd choose B.

Great. But, what effect do you think A would have that they need to spin B?

Its early in the morning, and everyone wants answers. They know they have to talk to the media. This buys them some time to set up damage control. Would be the same with any corporation that wasnt in the spotlight.

Damage control for what? Let's assume he did attempt suicide. What do the Cowboys gain by covering that up?

You watch the media circus this is going to become. Maybe they thought that such publicity would not be a good thing for someone in a frail state of mind as T.O seems to be. Maybe they thought PRIVACY might be a good idea.

 

[Stringer Bell]

2 comments.

1. the report mentioned that he only took 5 pills. 5 painkillers with the exception of very few kinds are barely an attempt at suicide. i would suspect TO was on the type of pain killers that any of us would have after surgery or an injury. vicoden/perciset and so forth, many people who are "addicted" to these types of pills take upwards of 40 pills a day.

2. these types of pain medications make you loopy, incoherant, and nauseous (sp?) this would explain the vomiting.

Story look spretty straight forward to me.

TO took the perscribed pain killers. maybe more than he should have. threw up. went to hospital. any report or anything he said to police was when he was totally in LA LA Land. dont read any more into it.

my 2 cents

 

[Dragon Bones]

Stick a fork in him, he is done

Some of you can live in denial like you did on draft day. The dude is a total head case!

 

[Sidewinder16]

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=2604395

Wide receiver Terry Glenn practiced, albeit with several stitches in his thumb.

"He was trying to cut some tape off his uniform," Parcells said. "He had his hand down in his pants and he missed. Fortunately he cut his hand."

I know this is a serious TO/suicide thread, but how this got glossed over is beyond me.



My apologies for the hijack, but I needed a good chuckle.

 

[dgreen]

When almost every team was either refusing to consider Owens or only offering an incentive-laden one, Jerry Jones came forward with a huge contract offer. Many, many fans were shocked.

If this backfires in this way, it would go down in history as the worst move by a team ever. If he only had an accidental reaction, all is well.

The bolded part is just insane. You can't be serious.If they spin it to be an accident, that means it wasn't an accident. That's what makes it a spin. So, they say it was an accident and keep going as if nothing happened and you say "all is well?" Seriously? Spinning doesn't change the reality. If he tried to kill himself, they have an issue to deal with that doesn't just disappear because they hold a PC to say it was an accident.

Spinning, better known as lying, would not be profitable for the Cowboys.

 

[Ramblin Wreck]

First off, I originally posted this news - and was bashed.

Darn. You missed out on having your name in lights. I can live with that. Posting that kind of story with no confirmation means your thread gets deleted. Again, I can live with that. I delete a lot of crap threads. Yes, this one had wheels, but it doesn't change the fact that it was an uncorroborated story. Further, there were leads (apparently erroneous ones) that indicated it wasn't true.

Second, Shick your earlier response to texasheat of "quit pissing in our pool" was uncalled for and really made me lose some respect for you.

If having a high standard means that a story was delayed for two minutes (I think it was two minutes) before there was some confirmation I guess I can live without your respect.

How about changing the title to NOT CONFIRMED. No need to delete it.

There were reports of mistaken identity. Possibly erroneous. Time will tell. We're not spreading information for the sake of entertainment like some competing sites.

Weak. You can't just admit you were wrong and apologize? There were at least three Dallas area FBGs on here last night saying that we saw this report on the local news. But for some reason it's not really news unless there's a link. Then some random guy on a different board jokes that it was actually former Dallas police chief Terrell Bolton, and everybody believes him. That's the point where I just went back to bed. It's not worth the hassle.

I thought Mods were supposed to be the example when it comes to being polite and professional. Guess Shick is the exception to that rule.

 

[menobrown]

I've not had a chance to read all the pages in this thread but who trys to kill themselves with pills with someone else in the room? If she was present, this is not a suicide attempt. This is a cry for help/attention.

Taking 35 pain killing pills when you're supposed to take one or two is a pretty serious cry for help.

Yes it is a serious cry for help. But taking 35 pills while someone is watching you do it is also no way to commit suicide because you know the person is going to call 911.

 

[abhall]

Local Dallas ESPN radio saying Etheridge, T.O.'s publicist, says it wasn't a suicide attempt, and it was just a bad reaction to the combination of his supplements and pain medication.

Not surprising. The Dallas Cowboys Organziation has to spin this. I'm a die hard Cowboy fan I think it's the only way to go with it.

Why would the Cowboys need to spin this?

Let's see eitherA) Our star WR is suicidal and has serious mental issuesorB) Our star WR mistakenly took to many pain medsI'd choose B.

Great. But, what effect do you think A would have that they need to spin B?

Its early in the morning, and everyone wants answers. They know they have to talk to the media. This buys them some time to set up damage control. Would be the same with any corporation that wasnt in the spotlight.

Damage control for what? Let's assume he did attempt suicide. What do the Cowboys gain by covering that up?

Are you serious?- Having a star player on your team that's suicidal would have to disrupt team chemistry- Do you not see that something of this nature is unprecedented. Name a star athlete that's tried to committ suicide. The media frenzy here in Dallas is NUTS. Assuming the suicide attempt is true it will be horrible for the Cowboy franchise- Who's to say it won't happen again? What would the death of TO due to the Cowboy organization?- If it's a confirmed suicide attempt TO will probably need pyschiatric evaluation. If you can't see how harmful a confirmed TO suicide attempt would be to the Cowboys organization you are blind.

 

[mojorizin]

Local Dallas ESPN radio saying Etheridge, T.O.'s publicist, says it wasn't a suicide attempt, and it was just a bad reaction to the combination of his supplements and pain medication.

Not surprising. The Dallas Cowboys Organziation has to spin this. I'm a die hard Cowboy fan I think it's the only way to go with it.

Why would the Cowboys need to spin this?

Let's see eitherA) Our star WR is suicidal and has serious mental issuesorB) Our star WR mistakenly took to many pain medsI'd choose B.

Great. But, what effect do you think A would have that they need to spin B?

Its early in the morning, and everyone wants answers. They know they have to talk to the media. This buys them some time to set up damage control. Would be the same with any corporation that wasnt in the spotlight.

Damage control for what? Let's assume he did attempt suicide. What do the Cowboys gain by covering that up?

Time to figure out how to deal with it. Its bad and its gonna get a helluva lot worse. If I get a call first thiing in the morning that something has gone horribly wrong, I'm doing all I can to set up a buffer until I have all the facts, confer with who I need to, and put the plan in action. This is going to be tres ugly for the Cowboys - they dont want to step on unneccessary land mines.

 

[Workhorse]

Even though the pills were proscribed, does this make TO subject to the league's substance abuse policy?

I'm no expert on the matter, but I'd think not. I'd guess you'd go with "the spirit of the rule" -- it's not like TO was abusing drugs for either recreation or performance enhancement. But, I'm just guessing here....

Yeah, it's all speculation but I'm just looking at the letter of the policy itself:The illegal use of drugs and the abuse of prescription drugs, over-the-counter drugs, and alcohol (hereinafter referred to as "substances of abuse") is prohibited [ftnt 1] for players in the National Football League ("NFL").

 

[ydub]

How much attention do people need in life?Put the dude in a white jacket that buttons in the back and toss him in a padded room and be done with him.

You might need to follow your own advice if you really believe that. If I were you(and I thank my personal God that I'm not), I'd put on something like this .

 

[Leroy Hoard]

Stick a fork in him, he is doneSome of you can live in denial like you did on draft day. The dude is a total head case!

 

[BlueOnion]

I've not had a chance to read all the pages in this thread but who trys to kill themselves with pills with someone else in the room? If she was present, this is not a suicide attempt. This is a cry for help/attention.

I have been following this angle with great interest because I think it would be very telling. However, I have found no confirmation Etheridge (sp??) was with T.O. or not. All I have found is she is the one who called the police at 7:42ish PM. She could have made the call from anywhere in the country if T.O. had called her and told her of his intent (Cry for help).

 

[JaxBill]

2 comments.1. the report mentioned that he only took 5 pills. 5 painkillers with the exception of very few kinds are barely an attempt at suicide. i would suspect TO was on the type of pain killers that any of us would have after surgery or an injury. vicoden/perciset and so forth, many people who are "addicted" to these types of pills take upwards of 40 pills a day.2. these types of pain medications make you loopy, incoherant, and nauseous (sp?) this would explain the vomiting.Story look spretty straight forward to me.TO took the perscribed pain killers. maybe more than he should have. threw up. went to hospital. any report or anything he said to police was when he was totally in LA LA Land. dont read any more into it.my 2 cents

No, the report says he only took 5 BEFORE Tuesday. He took the other 35 yesterday.

 

[AhrnCityPahnder]

2 comments.1. the report mentioned that he only took 5 pills. 5 painkillers with the exception of very few kinds are barely an attempt at suicide. i would suspect TO was on the type of pain killers that any of us would have after surgery or an injury. vicoden/perciset and so forth, many people who are "addicted" to these types of pills take upwards of 40 pills a day.

I've heard multiple reports that he either took 35 or 37 pills. The addicts who take 40 pills a day (some take even 2x that amount) have over a slow and long period of time built up a tolerence to the opiods in the pills. That much to someone with no tolerence could easily just shut you down. Slowed heartrate, respiratory system becomes supressed ... you just 'shut off'.

 

[ceo3west]

Some basic questions I want answered.

How did police know to go get TO in the first place? Who called the 911? TO himself? Maybe he got messed up drinking and/or doing whatever else, took some medicine, forgot he took it, took some more and then got sick and called the 911. Makes more sense to me then this out of the blue. Then again, if he's bi-polar, you never know.

There's a link in this thread to the tv news report that discusses some of this.

Bi-Polar has got to be the most overused diagnosis of all-time. Maybe immaturity and need for attention should replace some of these diagnosis. I know for a fact that physicians prescribe anti-depressants medicine too freely, and as a result, they can cause more harm than good. I'm not making a comparison of TO and anti-depressants, but I am comparing those said to be Bi-Polar with anti-depressants. Whatever happened to dealing with one's own problems?

I highly doubt that TO is bipolar, but I really hope youre not equating bipolar disorder with immaturity. Bipolar disorder is very real, and cannot be dealt with on one's own. You are grossly misinformed if thats the case.

 

[dgreen]

Damage control for what? Let's assume he did attempt suicide. What do the Cowboys gain by covering that up?

You watch the media circus this is going to become. Maybe they thought that such publicity would not be a good thing for someone in a frail state of mind as T.O seems to be. Maybe they thought PRIVACY might be a good idea.

Parcells can handle a media circus. If T.O. attempted suicide, he shouldn't have an immediate media circus because he should be away somewhere getting help.Privacy might be a good idea. However, a spin story is not the way to handle that. A spin will just bring bigger problems down the line because of the reality of the situation.

 

[Noahs Troopers]

Even though the pills were proscribed, does this make TO subject to the league's substance abuse policy?

I'm no expert on the matter, but I'd think not. I'd guess you'd go with "the spirit of the rule" -- it's not like TO was abusing drugs for either recreation or performance enhancement. But, I'm just guessing here....

Yeah, it's all speculation but I'm just looking at the letter of the policy itself:The illegal use of drugs and the abuse of prescription drugs, over-the-counter drugs, and alcohol (hereinafter referred to as "substances of abuse") is prohibited [ftnt 1] for players in the National Football League ("NFL").

Even is this ends up the case, I'm not aware of him being in the program to begin with, which would indicate all he'd get is a warning. I have a feeling that the suicide reports are BS.

 

[bostonfred]

I've not had a chance to read all the pages in this thread but who trys to kill themselves with pills with someone else in the room? If she was present, this is not a suicide attempt. This is a cry for help/attention.

Taking 35 pain killing pills when you're supposed to take one or two is a pretty serious cry for help.

Yes it is a serious cry for help. But taking 35 pills while someone is watching you do it is also no way to commit suicide because you know the person is going to call 911.

You couldn't get me to pop 35 pills if I was in the ER already.

 

[Norman Einstein]

Prescription filled on 9/18 and only 5 were taken before last night? Something doesn't add up IMO

 

[Flyin Pigs]

2 comments.1. the report mentioned that he only took 5 pills. 5 painkillers with the exception of very few kinds are barely an attempt at suicide. i would suspect TO was on the type of pain killers that any of us would have after surgery or an injury. vicoden/perciset and so forth, many people who are "addicted" to these types of pills take upwards of 40 pills a day.2. these types of pain medications make you loopy, incoherant, and nauseous (sp?) this would explain the vomiting.Story look spretty straight forward to me.TO took the perscribed pain killers. maybe more than he should have. threw up. went to hospital. any report or anything he said to police was when he was totally in LA LA Land. dont read any more into it.my 2 cents

I think you may have misread the report. It states that he took 5 pills (of a 40 pill prescription) between filling the prescription and the time of the incident. That means he took the remainder of the bottle ~35 pills.

 

[JaxBill]

Even though the pills were proscribed, does this make TO subject to the league's substance abuse policy?

I'm no expert on the matter, but I'd think not. I'd guess you'd go with "the spirit of the rule" -- it's not like TO was abusing drugs for either recreation or performance enhancement. But, I'm just guessing here....

Yeah, it's all speculation but I'm just looking at the letter of the policy itself:The illegal use of drugs and the abuse of prescription drugs, over-the-counter drugs, and alcohol (hereinafter referred to as "substances of abuse") is prohibited [ftnt 1] for players in the National Football League ("NFL").

Even is this ends up the case, I'm not aware of him being in the program to begin with, which would indicate all he'd get is a warning. I have a feeling that the suicide reports are BS.

He'd get a warning but he would be entered in Stage 1 of the program which means more testing. I believe this is what happened to Favre with the Vicodin.

 

[mojorizin]

Even though the pills were proscribed, does this make TO subject to the league's substance abuse policy?

I'm no expert on the matter, but I'd think not. I'd guess you'd go with "the spirit of the rule" -- it's not like TO was abusing drugs for either recreation or performance enhancement. But, I'm just guessing here....

Yeah, it's all speculation but I'm just looking at the letter of the policy itself:The illegal use of drugs and the abuse of prescription drugs, over-the-counter drugs, and alcohol (hereinafter referred to as "substances of abuse") is prohibited [ftnt 1] for players in the National Football League ("NFL").

Even is this ends up the case, I'm not aware of him being in the program to begin with, which would indicate all he'd get is a warning. I have a feeling that the suicide reports are BS.

If it WAS a suicide attempt, and there's has never been a question about TO being anything but clean, I dont think the league makes a move based on the substance abuse policy.ETA: If it WAS a suicide attempt, I dont think it matters as we may not ever see TO in uniform again. If he's cracked, they arent going to fix this guy enough to ever handle the pressure.

 

[menobrown]

I've not had a chance to read all the pages in this thread but who trys to kill themselves with pills with someone else in the room? If she was present, this is not a suicide attempt. This is a cry for help/attention.

I have been following this angle with great interest because I think it would be very telling. However, I have found no confirmation Etheridge (sp??) was with T.O. or not. All I have found is she is the one who called the police at 7:42ish PM. She could have made the call from anywhere in the country if T.O. had called her and told her of his intent (Cry for help).

Maybe I heard incorrectly, but I tought the women who called 911 was with TO and it was believe to be his publicist, Kim Etheridge.

 

[coolnerd]

How much attention do people need in life?Put the dude in a white jacket that buttons in the back and toss him in a padded room and be done with him.

Right now I really, really wish there were some kind of indicator to let me know when it would be ok to call other posters names.

This one of those days where I am tempted to just say to those type of posters what needs to be said and just take the consequences from the staff.

 

[Wreckincrew]

How much attention do people need in life?Put the dude in a white jacket that buttons in the back and toss him in a padded room and be done with him.

You might need to follow your own advice if you really believe that. If I were you, I put on something like this .

After reading the police report it seems pretty straight forward. He had 40 pills, he had taken 5 over the last week, he downed all but two last night and put the last two in his mouth while his "female companion" was watching and she stuck her finger in his mouth to get them out, then called 911. The cops asked if he was trying to hurt himself and he said yes.If any part of this is wrong please help me out.

 

[texasyankee]

For those of you who have not dialed up the ticket (theticket.com) their Cowboys beat reporter is about to report from the training facility

 

[Hairy Snowman]

Prescription filled on 9/18 and only 5 were taken before last night? Something doesn't add up IMO

He had stopped taking them when the doctors realized he was allergic.

 

[Noahs Troopers]

What people also need to realize is even if he did take 40 pills, this is not necessarily a suicide attempt. Sure it could be but it is common for people to enjoy the feeling they get from pain medication and want more of the feeling, I know when I had vicodin for some pain, I had taken much more than the recommended dosage, cause it felt good. It's also possible that there was miscommunication when asked if he tried to hurt himself, when your high on anything, including pain pills people can and do say incorrect things, weather on purpose or not. 40 pills will cause alot of confusion.

 

[menobrown]

I've not had a chance to read all the pages in this thread but who trys to kill themselves with pills with someone else in the room? If she was present, this is not a suicide attempt. This is a cry for help/attention.

Taking 35 pain killing pills when you're supposed to take one or two is a pretty serious cry for help.

Yes it is a serious cry for help. But taking 35 pills while someone is watching you do it is also no way to commit suicide because you know the person is going to call 911.

You couldn't get me to pop 35 pills if I was in the ER already.

Me either but than again I'm not depressed and needing to cry for help.

 

[dgreen]

- Having a star player on your team that's suicidal would have to disrupt team chemistry

And spinning the story would fix that problem?

- Do you not see that something of this nature is unprecedented. Name a star athlete that's tried to committ suicide. The media frenzy here in Dallas is NUTS. Assuming the suicide attempt is true it will be horrible for the Cowboy franchise

And spinning the story would fix that problem?

- Who's to say it won't happen again? What would the death of TO due to the Cowboy organization?

Exactly why you shouldn't spin the story. Tell the truth and deal with the problem.

- If it's a confirmed suicide attempt TO will probably need pyschiatric evaluation.

So, your solution is to say it was accident and not give him an evaluation or to spin it and give him an evaluation which raises questions of you spinning the story?

If you can't see how harmful a confirmed TO suicide attempt would be to the Cowboys organization you are blind.

If the Cowboys were at fault, I could see it. The Cowboys aren't at fault.

 

[Billy Bats]

Dallas Cowboys to have a 2:30 news conference.

 

[mojorizin]

How much attention do people need in life?Put the dude in a white jacket that buttons in the back and toss him in a padded room and be done with him.

Right now I really, really wish there were some kind of indicator to let me know when it would be ok to call other posters names.

This one of those days where I am tempted to just say to those type of posters what needs to be said and just take the consequences from the staff.

Let it go. All you and I just did was make sure more people see the original post, respond to it, and we end up with another trainwreck.

 

[simey]

I've not had a chance to read all the pages in this thread but who trys to kill themselves with pills with someone else in the room? If she was present, this is not a suicide attempt. This is a cry for help/attention.

Taking 35 pain killing pills when you're supposed to take one or two is a pretty serious cry for help.

Yes it is a serious cry for help. But taking 35 pills while someone is watching you do it is also no way to commit suicide because you know the person is going to call 911.

That's true, but even if he didn't really want to die and knew the person with him would call 9/11, that act in itself is something a mentally disturbed person would do.

 

[dgreen]

Damage control for what? Let's assume he did attempt suicide. What do the Cowboys gain by covering that up?

Time to figure out how to deal with it. Its bad and its gonna get a helluva lot worse. If I get a call first thiing in the morning that something has gone horribly wrong, I'm doing all I can to set up a buffer until I have all the facts, confer with who I need to, and put the plan in action. This is going to be tres ugly for the Cowboys - they dont want to step on unneccessary land mines.

I agree with this. But, "no comment" is different than spin. The Cowboys shouldn't say anything until they have what they believe to be the full story. Spending their time making up a story right now is just stupid.

 

[culdeus]

For those of you who have not dialed up the ticket (theticket.com) their Cowboys beat reporter is about to report from the training facility

My stream died. What did he say.

 

[Keys Myaths]

The agent is refering people to his publicist??

Yes, that's who covers your PR in situations like this.

 

[Noahs Troopers]

How much attention do people need in life?Put the dude in a white jacket that buttons in the back and toss him in a padded room and be done with him.

Right now I really, really wish there were some kind of indicator to let me know when it would be ok to call other posters names.

This one of those days where I am tempted to just say to those type of posters what needs to be said and just take the consequences from the staff.

Agreed. I'd say anyone who wants to get "cute" and make little "jokes" about TO and suicide deserve a temp ban, maybe a month will teach them that making "jokes" about suicide isn't funny. Anybody rooting for TO to die, I'd say ban their IP, we don't need trash like that around here.

 

[Franknbeans]

Chances are if this was truly a suicide attempt, TO will have worn out his welcome in Big D as well as the rest of the league until he proves that he has gotten the help he seems to desperately need.

 

[dgreen]

Dallas Cowboys to have a 2:30 news conference.

Dallas time?

 

[Billy Bats]

How much attention do people need in life?Put the dude in a white jacket that buttons in the back and toss him in a padded room and be done with him.

Right now I really, really wish there were some kind of indicator to let me know when it would be ok to call other posters names.

This one of those days where I am tempted to just say to those type of posters what needs to be said and just take the consequences from the staff.

Oh here come all the holier than thou posters. Just my opinion, people. Go ahead and call me what you will. But don't tell me there aren't alot of people thinking the same thing.

 

[AhrnCityPahnder]

What people also need to realize is even if he did take 40 pills, this is not necessarily a suicide attempt.

Unless TO has a history of abusing pain medicine, yes it is.

 

[CrossEyed]

Wow. I've never been a fan of TO, but I feel bad for the guy right now. There are obviously some pretty deep issues that he needs to deal with. I'm praying that he gets the help that he needs. Football is far down the list of his concerns at the moment.

 

[Footballhead]

Well, I regret makng fun of TO. THis shows, no body is perfect, the dude got some real stress on him to live up to expectations and the frustration of having to deal with injuries and the controversy the media generated led to more added pressure and depression.

Now, for those of you who owns TO (my self included) and are pissed at him for ruining your fantasy season, go get a real life.

 

[Billy Bats]

Dallas Cowboys to have a 2:30 news conference.

Dallas time?

ESPNNEWS reported this a minute ago, but didn't clarify the time zone.

 

[culdeus]

Dallas Cowboys to have a 2:30 news conference.

Dallas time?

No, GMT.

 

[Fla\/\/ed]

What people also need to realize is even if he did take 40 pills, this is not necessarily a suicide attempt.

Unless TO has a history of abusing pain medicine, yes it is.