Terrell Owens and Depression

The talk on ESPN which is reporting that now Dallas Cowboy and former Eagle’s headache Terrell Owens tried to commit suicide by taking to many pills. He is of course denying such a charge saying that he had a bad reaction to the different pills he was taking for his recent surgery on his index finger. But the story of his suicide sound like a more likely scenario then being sick from limited dosages of medication. Certainly to the extent of requiring a trip to the hospital and having a stomach pumped. (then again without Health Care, my line for going to get help is probably more than most people) ESPN radio announcers where I first heard the breaking news, expressed shock that someone of Owens demeanor seemingly so confident like he would never do that. But as someone who suffers from depression it seems pretty obvious to me; he had all the signs. Outwardly warm and boisterous demeanor, but in need of constant support. But people who know him seem to say that in private he is quiet and withdrawn; completely different from his TV and sports persona. Moody and prone to withdrawal these are all common signs. Depression is not just someone who is sad, in fact most people who suffer from depression are outwardly happy and engaging (think most stand-up comics) Reports such as ESPN the Magazine cover story Tom Friend: via Outside the Beltway who is the only one still had the story online In a home playoff game that day against the Packers, Owens’ stone hands resurfaced. He fumbled once and dropped four balls. As he sat on the sidelines, awful childhood memories flooded back. Like when he’d fallen asleep on a high school bus with his mouth open, and a teammate spit on his tongue. Like when kids called him “Purple Pal” for being so dark-skinned. That’s how those four botched passes made him feel — angry, insecure — and he figured, that’s it, they’re not going to throw to me again. He didn’t trust them, Tuna. He doesn’t trust anybody, Tuna. So he walked up to Young and said, “Steve, believe in me.” And Young was stunned. He told TO, “You’re one of the best in the league, and you’re only your third year in, so don’t worry about me believing in you, okay? Just catch the next one.” The next one came with three seconds left, the 49ers trailing by four. Owens ran a route called “All Go Double Comeback,” and caught it at the goal line with two Packers aiming for his skull. He sobbed afterwards, which was an odd reaction to some, but not Derrick Deese, the 49ers left tackle who played dominos with Owens virtually every day. “TO was emotional because the touchdown signified that we knew what he knew — that we had to go back to him to win the game,” Deese says. “That meant more than the catch. He needs this support, he needs his actions validated and he needs to be the focus of the attention. This according to this article by Friend. He has other stories about how he met his father and being locked up with his alcoholic Grandmother who only had one lamp and wouldn’t let him out. And when he is not the center, he is willing to hurt himself; to commit professional suicide that were he not the most talented player in the league would certainly find him outside of the game. He is willing to hurt himself professionally is it really a stretch to believe he is willing to hurt himself physically? He will deny any sort of suicide and in truth we may never really know what happened; but considering his childhood alone and his preoccupation with himself. Considering all the symptoms he has of putting on a face in public quiet in real life he should probably consider therapy regardless. Either way I wish him health and a quick recovery but not in time for the Eagles game.