The Latest Reality Show: Terrell Owens Drama Airing in Cincinnati

The latest reality show called T.O. Drama hijacks the airwaves in Cincinnati. Under these circumstances, Terrell Owens is known for dividing a team, as a bonding core plunges mightily at the earliest of September and becomes the epicenter of arguably the biggest tragicomedy in sports.

It’s risky and the most perilous experiment in football, assembling together diva-like receivers with cancerous symptoms that could dismantle a franchise’s morale and chemistry. As the most despised NFL star, Owens is the most controversial receiver with an egomaniacal behavior, demanding the football and crying when he doesn't get enough touches.

It’s baffling that the Cincinnati Bengals are getting the popcorn ready, to witness the most dangerous reality show, to witness a temperamental receiver cause confrontation and isolate a franchise with his self-centered attitude. In the meantime, Owens and Chad Ochocinco’s relationship is unconditional love, of course, as neither have played their first game together, but evidently are close friends and have an amiable bond.

At some point, realizing that Terrible Owens is a curiosity in football whether he’s unemployed or emerging as the famous nuisance on reality shows, we can revisit the previous teams that corroded because of Owens’ dysfunction and development as a saboteur. It’s a marriage of controversy, a relationship expected to weaken early in the regular season as mood swings and infighting chaos loom ever so quickly.

For all the abuse San Francisco, Philadelphia, Dallas, and somewhat Buffalo took, fans in any other town than Cincinnati are laughing at the clowns of the league for gambling on a dangerous and worthless S.O.B. Once, he was allowed numerous chances to enrich his psyche and polish as the most talented wideout, gifted at running routes and physically bringing in an astonishing catch. But he’s a declining receiver with a knack to launch reality shows on VH1 and be represented as a celebrity bust, rather than a football bust.

So now, it’s simple to discern that bringing in Terrible Owens are signs of trouble, and it was the most horrific blunder by reaching an agreement with a mischief-maker. If you don’t think Owens agreeing to a one-year, $2 million contract with a potential $2 million more in incentives is crazy, well, you obviously haven’t seen him yelling at teammates, or throwing hissy fits with coaches on the sideline, or haven’t seen him generating tirades and blaming all his foolish stunts on the media.

When it comes to Terrible Owens, the arrival of an uncivilized star spells trouble. When it comes to Terrible Owens, reaching a deal is a warning sign of a hazard and the demise of one troubled superstar, engulfed by madness, drama and baggage to reduce a team’s assurance. By now, we are burnt out on Owens’ me-myself-and-I practices, irritating our consciousness and the way we perceive a petulant veteran who usually at times conduct himself as an inexperienced rookie, as if he’s still finding his way in the league.

As usual, Owens will drain the executives, coaching staff, and teammates in the Bengals organization, particularly if the team doesn’t compromise with his stingy and greedy demands. Why is he worth the hassle? By entering his 15th NFL season, he has accomplished unforeseen feats, an explosive receiver with inconceivable agility and crafty footwork, ranking third in career receiving yards and touchdowns and sixth in receptions.

The best-case scenario is that he provides veteran leadership and performs at the highest level alongside teammate Ochocinco to form a receiver tandem in limbo. But the worst-case scenario is that he tears down chemistry and spirit by initiating rampages and havoc inside the locker room because of jealousy and insecurity of his peers and teammates for accumulating more touches and regards.

“It’s really, really interesting we can be on the same team and work together,” Ochocinco said Tuesday on ESPN’s SportsCenter.

To refresh everyone’s memory, he lasted two seasons in Philadelphia and always had heated feuds with quarterback Donovan McNabb by verbally attacking his teammates and throwing tantrums on the sidelines. Remember, he cried and created a ruckus in Dallas, initiating tiring feuds that were advertised publicly when he feuded with quarterback Tony Romo, irritated because he wasn’t getting enough touches or participating in a high-powered offense.

Remember, his disturbing antics forced loyal owner Jerry Jones to release a problematic Owens, whose disruptions were very ravaging and babyish for a franchise. Remember, he spent eight seasons with the San Francisco 49ers, and exploded when he attacked Jeff Garcia and insulted his quarterback by calling him gay.


As a well-known diva, it was a risky move for the Bengals, who advanced to the playoffs last season and had enough talent and problems. It’s bad enough that owner Mike Brown is a dauntless businessman willing to take gambles and lobby for rebellious players. If anything, he’s not concerned on building a depleted franchise with unlawful players, but prefers to win a significant amount of games and advance to the playoffs, having a troubled Larry Johnson and Matt Jones, including a mobile running back Cedric Benson, who benefited on the field while running into unlawful troubles off the field.

Without carefully considering, Brown accepts a mystic Terrible Owens and welcomes the wideout to the Bengals family, based on talent and not a poor reputation. All of which quarterback Carson Palmer, who has worked with Owens and has been “highly impressed,” is the victim of T.O. attacks if Owens loses his mind and self-control.

It figures that Cincinnati is Owens' last franchise before he announces his retirement, with the aging receiver’s style suddenly declining and approaching the late stages of his disillusioned career. It’s a tremendous opportunity for Terrible Owens to mellow as the innocent sports figure and prove to all populace that he’s not such a villain of franchise suicide, garnering a sense that the world doesn't revolve around him.

He must discard all the diva acts, an annoying trend needless for a franchise on a mission, so maybe it’s his last resort for avoiding unemployment and salvaging his job security. And maybe it’s his last resort at thriving with a championship-caliber team in effort to win a title.

Then again, maybe he’ll be the crybaby that will mope over the amount of touches and receptions. Then again, maybe at the end of the season Marvin Lewis, who is responsible for babysitting Terrible Owens, will have to stroll to the nearest Babies “R” Us and stick a pacifier in Owens’ mouth for weeping and bickering.

“Yes, people can make mistakes,” said Brown. “It doesn’t mean that they go on the rest of their lives making mistakes. They can get their ship pointed in the right direction. This is a 36-year-old man. He’s been through a lot. He’s proven as a player and as a person.”

He’s a little baby and cries out loud. It’s common that he’ll excel and blend in well at the beginning, but as time carries on, he could become the attention-seeker and create havoc, especially when the team is performing poorly and losing a critical amount of games.

Oftentimes, he has blamed ESPN for defaming his troubled reputation and exposing erroneous images. Now it’s the worldwide leader in sports fault if he acts like a foolish dimwit, unwilling to accept the truth and blinded by reality. It’s Owens' actions, not a television network or Internet source that he deeply targets and holds accountable.

“The teams I’ve been on, if you ask in that locker room how I’ve been as a teammate and as a person, it’s contradictory to what’s been displayed out there,” Owens said. “I’ve never been in any trouble. I know right from wrong. I try to make the right choices and judgments when I’m out in the public.

“It’s not like I can’t play. There is some type of influence that they’re making in the minds of teams and owners and GMs. I feel like I have enough talent to be a starter on any team. That’s what’s so frustrating.”


At anytime, he could lose his mind, throw a hissy fit, and verbally attack teammates. At anytime, Owens’, Ochocinco’s and Palmer’s egos may helplessly collide. With the poor character of Terrible Owens, anything is possible. You never know.

If you are tuning in to the latest reality show, your regularly scheduled program could be cancelled, allowing Terrible Owens to return to “The T.O. Show,” or Oprah or even Dr. Phil for some advice on how to avoid dysfunction. As we all know, Ochocinco appeared on “Dancing With the Stars” and currently stars in a dating show called “Ochocinco: The Ultimate Catch." It’s easy to postulate that they are obsessed with popularity and attention, but also have mental and personal issues.

There’s a reality show in Cincinnati. It’s called the "Team of Dysfunction."

Oh, Lord…

Chris Henry's Death Inspires Chad Ochocinco and Bengals

He wisely dropped to his knees, lifted his head and pointed skyward after sprinting in a well-executed route and catching a 49-yard touchdown pass from Carson Palmer.

In a moment of grief, Chad Ochocinco’s solace was to pay tribute to the late Chris Henry. It was a time the Cincinnati Bengals played with heavy hearts, but there was no one with a heavier heart than Ochocinco. At the time, reality set in, the entire team mourned the loss of Henry.

Earlier in the week, Ochocinco promised to wear the No. 15 jersey to honor his friend, but reevaluated and had class for the league’s wishes. If he wore the No. 15 jersey, the league would have slapped him with a fine, even though the Players Association announced it would reimburse him. But he had tremendous respect and remembered his teammate in a mature fashion.

There was no showboating in the end zone, such as river dancing, camera shooting, or the mustard jacket fitting act. It was done politely at Qualcomm Stadium, where he mourned the death of Henry in a different way than his teammates.

Prior to emerging from the visitors’ tunnel, Ochocinco was discovered teary-eyed trying to soothe and mitigate pain in the aftermath of a freak accident that cut Henry’s life short. Sad thing is, he had turned his life around and mellowed into an inspirational player, symbolizing the Bengals’ organization. Scary thing is, he was only 26-years old and started to elude the criminal lifestyle. But more senseless is, he left behind three children and his fiancée, Loleini Tonga.

Any time there is a death in the workplace, someone will grieve. Much of the week, Ochocinco has been the emotional one, reflecting on the situation more deeply than his teammates. He spent countless minutes in front of Henry’s locker, and he mourned and dripped tears on Thursday. By game time, he couldn’t control his emotions and had a similar mood against the Chargers on Sunday.

It’s obvious if he were able to pay a bigger tribute, he would have, but a lesser expose honoring Henry was handled well. Before using poor judgment, Ochocinco pondered on whether it was appropriate to wear his jersey. Not only was he thinking about his teammates, but Henry as well. Most of all, he wasn’t planning to wear his jersey for attention, but to dedicate the moment to a good friend he’ll truly miss.

Throughout his career, Ochocinco has been involved in a ruckus with the media. Given the history, he’d created a distraction in Sunday’s game. But instead he was selfless to honor the death of a player in a way he could please himself without disrupting the team or putting on a huge act. Even better is, he hung the No. 15 jersey in a locker stall. There was an empty locker, and had a 15 nameplate above the stall to represent the late Henry.

For a while, the Bengals will need time to recover from a devastating tragedy, which ended badly and created raw emotions. In what seems surreal is happening before our very eyes every day. And unfortunately, Henry fell out of a moving pickup truck driven by his fiancée last Wednesday in what police believed the incident was a domestic dispute. But seeing a man turn his life around, without having a chance to redeem a notorious background is unfortunate.

Ochocinco is devastated, agonized of the tragic death. He’s mourning the death of a friend, realizing he’s gone eternally. This is a downcast period for the Bengals, not only losing 27-24 against San Diego, but having to bury a friend and teammate. As a team, the Bengals will travel to New Orleans for the funeral on Tuesday, where teammates can share their final moments and lay Henry to rest.

Heavy burdens existed in a significant game, but the Bengals goal was to win. All that matters is each of them played with a heavy heart, which describes a winner. Winners remember a fallen teammate in any given situation. Winners pay tribute to a teammate who dies.

Ochocinco handled it with grace and character, while managing to produce effectively. During the game, there were somber moments, but he finished with three receptions for 70-yards and a touchdown, and had a 26-yard run.

At 9-5, the Bengals are still the AFC North leaders. By controlling their destiny, they can signify great things within the division, and stun us in the postseason with all the intangibles and unity. Riding off the inspiration of Henry puts the Bengals in contention. There’s nothing wrong in jumping to assumptions of insightful star power and motivation, when a team’s state of mind is affected by the lost of a close friend or teammate.

For those keeping track, Cincinnati hasn’t had much playoff fortune. The team is en route to only its second playoff appearance in 19 years. Maybe the Bengals can persist in their superlative year, with the inspiration of Ochocinco sharing and refreshing teammates of memorable times.

Sure, he may have something missing up stairs, with a last name as a number. But he’s the inspirational face of the franchise.

Thanks to No. 85, spirit is contagious.