IRVING, Texas (Dec. 13, 2006) -- Terrell Owens really likes being part of the Dallas Cowboys except for one thing: "The Snitch."
Owens remains upset that someone within the organization has been airing his dirty laundry. It started with a preseason report about him being late to work and continued with the story about a problem that causes him to fall asleep in meetings.
Those things happened earlier this season, but the bitterness lingers. Owens told ESPN in an interview that aired Dec.. 10 that he was "faking it" in practice because he was so frustrated, and he explained himself much further in a nearly half-hour interview in front of his locker Dec. 13.
Describing his tumultuous early season, which also included a hamstring injury in training camp and a broken hand that led to an "accidental overdose" on painkillers, Owens said: "I just felt like I was out there, just out there. I didn't feel like I was a part of the team."
"One of the coaches came to me after one game and I just told him a felt alone in this locker room. That's how I felt at that time. It was weighing a lot on my mind during the course of the game. My mind really wasn't clear to play football."
T.O.'s season has followed the same arc as the team's record. He was mediocre early, then began putting up big numbers when Tony Romo replaced Drew Bledsoe at quarterback, a move that led to a 5-1 streak. Dallas is now 8-5 and leading the NFC East going into a game at Atlanta on Dec. 16.
"Winning cures a lot of things," Owens said.
Despite all that's happened, Owens said he is happy enough that he could envision finishing his career with the Cowboys.
"Oh, yeah, I definitely would," he said. "Unless somebody knows something I don't know. ... I mean, I don't see any reason not to, you know what I mean?"
Well, there is that snitch still lurking.
"Yeah, that's my main part of frustration," he said. "It's like, you want to be part of this team and feel part of it, but it's hard to do that when you feel like there are guys you feel like you don't trust. It's just not happening."
Although he has an idea who is snitching, Owens said he won't confront the suspect until "the time is right."
"Not right now," he said.
If it bothers him so much that he told a national audience he was tempted to slack off in practice or a game, then why not?
"It wouldn't be nothing but a big distraction," he said. "I just let it be. ... At this point, it's not something to really address. Like I said, I kind of have my hunches. But it's nothing that I'm really dwelling on right now. Just letting it go, trying to play football. That's it."
