Terrell Owens: A Spitting Image
December 17th, 2006 by Michael Stephens
DeAngelo Hall has always considered Terrell Owens to be pal.
They would talk on the phone and playfully taunt each other.
But Owens spitting in Hall’s face Saturday night has probably put an end to that friendship.
“He had a couple of nice catches,” said Hall, the Atlanta Falcons’ Pro Bowl cornerback. “You expect that. He’s a great player. Right before the first punt, though, we kind of got in each other’s face, talking back and forth, and I lost all respect for him when he spit in my face.”
Owens, Dallas’ star receiver, acknowledged losing his temper with Hall in the Cowboys’ 38-28 victory Saturday night.
“I got frustrated and I apologize for that,” Owens told the NFL Network. “It was a situation where he kept bugging me and getting in my face.”
Owens beat Hall for a 7-yard touchdown late in the first quarter and a 51-yard score midway through the second. After the third play from scrimmage, however, Hall used his forearms to shove Owens near the sideline. Neither player was involved in Tony Romo’s 19-yard pass to Jason Witten at the Dallas 31, but Hall stayed on Owens’ case.
Terrell Owens responded by spitting in his face.
“I lost all respect for the guy,” Hall said. “That’s the No. 1 thing in the National Football League. You don’t spit in a grown man’s face. Hopefully, the NFL can see it and go back and watch the film right just before the first punt. On third down, we were kind of walking face to face, walking back to the huddle and he just hauled off and spit in my face.”
Owens, who still maintains an offseason home in the Atlanta neighborhood of Decatur, indicated that Hall kept jawing with him throughout the game.
“He had a lot of words. I didn’t. I just wanted to come out and prove I’m a guy to be schemed with,” Owens said.
Hall and Owens began their rivalry on the field in the season opener for Atlanta and Philadelphia last year. The Falcons prevailed, 14-10. Despite catching seven passes for 112 yards, Owens didn’t score. His controversial behavior eventually led to the Eagles’ releasing him, and he signed with Dallas during the offseason.
Ah, yes. It never fails. What would an otherwise impressive Dallas victory be without the obligatory Terrell Owens drama? Hopefully these two guys can find some time to chill, listen to some soothing John Mayer tunes and bury the hatchet.
