Questions Abound in T.O. O.D. Case
Posted: September 27, 2006 @ 10:45 am
Terrell Owens was admitted to Baylor Medical Center last night for apparently ingesting an alarming but unspecified amount of pain killing pills. Doctors tried to induce vomiting and police were summoned to take statements from the women who called the ambulance on Owens’ behalf and from Owens himself, who was conscious.
That’s all we know for certain. The story has exploded after a police report, which can be viewed here, suggested Owens attempted suicide.
According to the report, Owens’ friend called an ambulance and the first responders called police. The companion told police that Owens had not been taking his medications, having used only five pills from a 40 pill prescription. She also told police that he had taken the remainder of the bottle and had viewed him putting two pills in his mouth.
When asked if he had taken the remainder of his pills, he responed “yes.” He also answered yes to the question of whether he tried to hurt himself.
I asked a mental health and drug addiction expert for some background on suicide cases, pain medications and whether the Owens narrative indeed added up to a suicide attempt. I was told the following:
— It is very easy to overdose on pain medications. “There is a tipping point with narcotics that can take a person from conscious to half-dead. A person taking them can cross this point without being aware of it.”
– A person who attempts suicide can be held under surveillance for up to 72 hours if they are deemed a risk to themselves or others. The person can be held even if they do not want help.
– Overdoses and suicides are often confused, because they both put people in emergency rooms and can take individuals near death. However, they do not share the same motivations. Someone who has “suicidal ideation” plans their attempt over a long period of time. “A suicidal person wants to die. He or she is depressed, hopeless and feels life is not worth living… Somebody who wants to die and somebody who abused their drugs both could have died, so they are often seen as the same. They are not…”
The source told me that Owens’ injury history, most notably his quick rehab of a broken ankle in 2004 and recent reports of his demeanor did not add up, in her opinion, to somebody who was suicidal. “We cannot rule a suicide attempt out. He was taken to the hospital and did ingest pain pills, but the circumstances don’t add up… We don’t know how many pills he actually took. The woman who called police says she saw him put two in his mouth. She says he had only taken five before, but why was she counting his pills? That seems strange. If he did take 35 pain killers, he has a serious problem but none of us know how many he actually took.”
Update: Kim Ethridge, Owens publicist, tells The Star-Telegram that she made the 9-1-1 call because she found Owens “groggy and lethargic” after he had an adverse reaction to his pain medications and supplements. She denied that Owens had vomited or had his stomach pumped.
Comments
75 Responses to “Questions Abound in T.O. O.D. Case”
Got something to say?
You must be logged in to post a comment.
-
"The Sports Doctors"
iTunes/
Winamp
Windows
Media
RealOne -
Cowboy Up
Dedicated to providing the best Cowboys analysis anywhere, our efforts are free of charge but not free of expense. Your kind donation today will keep our drive alive.
Thank you
Or mail payment to:
RV2 Enterprises
P.O. Box 150093
Austin TX 78715-0093
Advertisers
-
Fave it!
-
SiteMeter
Burst Media
Raaafff thank you
Parcells said he had an adverse reaction to the medication which is why he sent him home at a previous date (last week).
Best scenario: He had just taken dome of the pills and was ‘out of it’ when he took additional pills he thought were his health supplements. He has always taken lots of supplements.
Worst scenario: He flipped quickly and did try suicide.
I think the truth lies somewhere between these two. He doesn’t have the history for the second case to be the full option.
If they thought it was an attempted suicide wouldn’t the hospital be required to keep Owens 72 hours? Most reports said he was already released. Does anyone know about the laws regarding this?
Raf- You awake buddy? I just realized how much I depend on you to get my balanced and factual reporting on the cowboys. I know you have heard it hundreds of times but thanks for all your hard work.
ESPN is quoting every source they can now. Sounds like they are trying to report the news now and not make it. Its a little to late for that. There was some criminal reporting today, if its not criminal then it should be.
All in all we still don’t know for sure but it sure sounds like this is one messed up story. I cant wait to hear Bill but he wont say anything one way or the other.
A FOX-News announcer just said that they would be carrying Bill Parcells’ news conference live. [1:30 pm CDT; 2:30 PM EDT] He also claimed that Parcells would tell us everything the Cowboys know.
BWAHAHAHAHAHA!
This guy doesn’t know Bill Parcells very well!
I would suspect that ESPN and CNN will also be covering this ‘event’. At least we should be able to see a part of the press conference live, until Parcells pulls the plug on Owens questions and the networks lose interest.
Did anyone else catch Talkin Cowboys? The last caller was a cop from Ohio, and he said, in Ohio at least, with what the police spokesman said there was no way it was a suicide attempt.
I dont believe it yet either, with Owens just returning home. BP will not say a word, I promise you that.
Mr. Bill, you can catch every Parcells press conference live on the Cowboys website.
Lou I think owens is still in the hospital, there was a report saying he went home, but he was not home yet, espn just said he just now went home
Calvin Watkins reported that he is home, was in a black Escalade with 3 other people, Etheridge probably one, because he is sitting outside the condo and has been for some team. What ever happened to privacy? Went away a long time ago.
lou,
I don’t like the news vultures either, but in his line of work privacy is no more.
Some of this has been his own doing, you can’t ask for it one minute and then all the sudden turn it off when you don’t.
What ever happened to gatting the facts right before relieasing a story? The race to be first is taking over any responsible journalism. You can still first report what known facts are without adding your speculation, then update the story.
The fact that ESPN is reporting it differently now lets me know their initial blurb was wrong. That, or someone got to the reporter (I doubt it knowing the network) and told them not to jump out on a limb just yet.
I heard today that T.O.’s publicist confirmed the attempted suicide with Dallas police. I am holding off and just hoping this is a bunch of BS and it’s just another fabricated Owens story. I also read a report saying Dallas police would not press charges because there was no crime and it was a medical case. I’m trying to keep my lunch down but some clarifaction would be great. Today’s presser is gonna be tough.
what a bunch of bulls…..
From Mosley’s blog:
T.O. to make statement
From Todd Archer …
The Cowboys announced that T.O. will be making a statement at his condo within 45 minutes.
miami cowboy….owens publicist did not confirm that. she had a press conference today as well denying those alegations.
will t.o’s statement be on the net live…how can i see it?
tip,
probably on ESPNEWS if you have it, they havent reported it yet so I dont know. But Im sure they will get it.
tip,
they reported that at 1 pm ET he will make a statement.
TO will be making a statement at 1:00 PM Eastern (so 5 minutes from now)
Raf,
You might want to add that Owens, just yesterday, was promoting a national campaign to help victims of abuse. He spoke at a high school on Tuesday morning. .. These actions strongly suggest he was not a person looking to end his life. Plus his zeal to play against the Eagles suggest he was a motivated and goal oriented .. not exactly a “threat to injure himself”.
From person expierence, I have known people who have taken higher than prescribed doses of pain medication when the pain seems to flare up .. with no ill effects. It is far more reasonable to believe that Owens hand was bothering him and he attempted to “get rid of the pain” as quickly as he can .. most likely he had a hard time falling asleep because of the pain. … And a person in a half unconsious state may respond “yes” to a question that does not register in his/her brain .. that is the very definition of “half way unconcious”.
IF ANYONE CAN FIND WHERE I CAN SEE OR HEAR THE OWENS CONFERENCE ON THE NET PLEASE SHOUT ME A HOLLER
Tipp007, you should be able to watch it here.
http://www.wfaa.com/
Or maybe not, they are just talking to Jaques Taylor right now….
Did i say this was going to be an interesting year or what?
Boys, dont take anything ed werder says as gosple.
Sometimes you just have to wait and see.
ESPN reporting:
1. Owens gave a thumbs up sign leaving the hospital.
2. He was practicing yesterday, catching balls, and supposedly had pain after practice.
i dont see where to peep the owens conference.
Owens will now talk at 1:30 eastern time.
Michael Smith says he talked to someone at TO’s house and TO directly denied to him that its all BS and its an allergic reaction. Is the source Deion, because its reported that he and his wife had arrived.
TO TALKING!!!!
That confirms it for me. This is all BS. If it was an attempt, there would be NO WAY he would be allowed to face the pressure of the media.
No adviser/therapist/doctor would ever allow that!
He will come on and say it was a bad reaction ABD THEN THE FUR WILL REALLY START TO FLY!!!!!
And whats more pathetic is I already see the “Did he combine the supplements and pain killers to get publicity?” I think I’ll throw up when I hear those reports, and someone will bring them up, no doubt about that tho.
This is funny, from Mick’s updated article. Nice dig on the news media:
Etheredge said Owens did not have his stomach pumped at the hospital and did not vomit, as was initially reported by several local news affiliates.
. . .Planet TO!!! What a great monniker!! We are just mere Cowboy Nation. But that guy has a gravitational pull all his own.
F%#@&%^* ESPN!!!
Hey Guys,
Dont know if anyone heard the primetime interview on nfl network but he says he talked to TO and this is all bs and that TO is laughing about it and how bad it got blown out of proportion.
Irvin confirms our reports, saying he just talked to Owens.
I wonder how much longer TO will play football his life is crazy. I know I would personally call it quits after this year.
When it is confirmed that he didn’t try to commit suicide, is there any way he could sue someone for this bs.
Deion also said that when he asked TO what happen it was indeed just a bad mixture of painkillers and supplements he takes. I really believe that espn should get a major fine for this type of sensationalist reporting. It is just ridiculous it seems that the only sit that was giving him the benefit of the doubt was nfl.com
Michael Smith reporting:
A friend of T.O. called Smith and told him Owens has been depressed and sincerely worries about Owens.
Please tell me Mr. Smith, what kind of FRIEND calls the media to report to the media that “my friend is depressed from all the pressures of being under a microscope”?? Wouldn’t that just add more stress? Some FRIEND!!!
I’d kick his friends ass pesonally for him. What a bitch!
BS story!!! … Owens may have a law suit against whomever fabricated the horsecrap story!!
i need the actual link of where i can peep the conference..or im gonna commit suicide
CKnight,
There is no friend. These people write whatever sells. It is all but impossible to prove an “undisclosed source” doesn’t exist.
Leading the charge will be the biggest hater in the dallas media, randy galloway.
“just another attention ploy” or something to that effect will be how he labels it.
cant wait to see it. wow, what an interesting year.
Or Dale Hanson, who supposedly said “What does he have to be depressed about?” Good reporting.
I have a friend who knows someone who told him that the female friend put pills in the wrong bottle. She realized her mistake and not having another bottle used a Pez dispenser. Mr Intials saw the Pez and wanting a sugar high to conteract the drowsy affect of the medicine, ate them all.
It looks like I have more information than others and need to be on ESPN’s payroll.
ESPN will still ride with the story even after Owens tells them “I DID NOT ATTEMPT SUICIDE!!”.
And ESPN has already started with the “Owens mother was only 15-16 years old when she had him” and “He lived across the street from his father and never knew he was his father” and “his grandma was an alcoholic”.
Owens should smack a law suit on whomever reported “suicide” .. The Dallas PD reported that - We are the spokespeople for the DPD, and the reports coming out prior to this press conference, we did not release.- A clear indicator to deflect the blame of a false report.
Shane, if your info is correct you never could be on ESPN’s payroll because you reported the truth and you didn’t sensationalize. You’d never fit in!
Espn is blaming the publicist for
causing the “confusion” because she
found TO “in distress” and called
911???
Owens practiced yesterday and spoke at a high school. This is not the actions of a suicidal person.
Here we go!
Owens will speak at 3:15 EST.
From Valley Ranch, not his house. Very interesting hour, 2:30-3:30.
owens speech moved to 3:30 or so eastern.
WHAT DOES THIS MEAN????
2 more hours of media hype and speculation.
This has to be killing Parcells right now. The absolute last thing he wants to do in an hour from now is hold a press conference! He knows he’ll be bombarded with TO questions and he won’t be able to talk about the rest of the team. He also knows he will not talk about what happened, so he knows the entire presser will go nowhere. That 1/2 hr is going to drive him absolutely insane!
He will adress the media ast 3:15 at Valley Ranch- this is an EXCELLENT move. Symbolizes that the team believes in him and supports what he is saying. A little different form the “No comment” press conference.
Kind of interesting that Deion is taking such an active role. you would have thougth as a memberof the “media” he would need to be more impartial.
Actually it is 2:15 Dallas time. Those dummies on ESPN reported it as 2:15 ET when Deion said 2:15, because they think everyone lives on the East Coast.
I suspect it will turn out he took a few pills and got sick, and went to the hospital.
swirvin,
Great point!
Wouldnt be surprised if DC.com runs the Interview
Its on ESPN.com and sportsline.com if anyone needs it.
Owens has been released…
http://dallascowboys.com/
….from the hospital. When I saw that headline on dallascowboys.com I had to look twice.
mikhu,
If I have the chance, I usually watch those press conferences live. It might be a little difficult to do today, though, since there will be so much interest and so much traffic.
I am currently hearing that Parcells’ press conference will be at its normal time [1:30 pm CDT] and that Owens will speak to the media at 2:30 pm CDT.
THIS IS OBVIOUSLY REPORTERS TRYIN TO GET A STORY AND MIXING UP A BUNCH OF INFO ALONG WITH POLICE. IM PISSED AND NOW I UNDERSTAND HOW OWENS FEELS WITH THE MEDIA SWARMING AT HIM. I DONT EVEN NEED TO SEE CONFERENCE AND I ALREADY KNOW THIS IS A BUNCH OF BILL $HIT!!! THERE IS NO WAY T.O. CAN ATTEMPT SUICIDE TAKE 30 PILLS, NOT HAVE HIS STOMACH PUMPED AND EVERYTHING IS OK THE NEXT DAY.
tipp007, earlier today, the information presented as facts by the police suggested this may have been intentionally self-inflicted.
I don’t how you do your job, but if you are a sports journalist and you don’t print what the police say on this, you’re not going to be a journalist tomorrow.
If anyone ever again doubts that the world has any anti-TO/Cowboy bias, please google this story in about three days.
BTW on FoxSports Power rankings this week, they have a link to a music video shot in ‘86 by the Cowboys. It may be one of the funniest period pieces I have ever seen. Landry is in the video. I am sure some of you diehards know about this thing but it is damn funny. I guess those guys thought they were going to the Super Bowl that year, a la the Bears Super Bowl Shuffle.
It is in times like this that I love the fact I am from Canada and get my news from Canadian news agencies. I can’t get over this CNN / Fox News style “reporting” crap, unreal!
Mr. Bill - So far so good, the feed is working fine. Here’s the itinerary per Mosley:
1:30 p.m.: Bill Parcells news conference.
2 p.m.: Drew Bledsoe will address the team.
2:15 p.m.: Terrell Owens makes a statement.
I’m sorry, that was per Aldrich on Mosley’s blog. And now he said TO is indeed scheduled for 2:30 like you said. DC.com’s Multimedia Center also says he will address the media at 2:30.
Martyn where you from in Canada.
I’m from Cambridge Ontario
From North Bay, currently living in Toronto.
That was AWESOME! BP: “Once I find out what the hell is going on I’ll let you know. Until then I’m not getting interrogated for no reason” or something along those lines, and he got up and walked out.
joey…i read that report….which was written before i heard the actual press conference from the dpd chief or whomever he is. he basically denied that and stated he doesnt know where that came from. this was the actual conference i heard myself from the chief and not some report. im just stating the facts that i heard from the police conference today and not some piece of paper
mikhu,
Shorter Bill Parcells, “#$ck y’all.”
LOL!
when i went through a divorce i became extremely depressed. i tried to kill myself by taking sleeping pills. i had to go to the hospital and i wouldnt get released, unlessi wasnt a threat or if a family member came and was going to watch me for 48 hours. i live in iowa and im sure every state has the same laws on that subject. si i dont feel he tried to commit suicide.