NFL players have to act up to get out of bad situations

	Terrell Owens will not play for the Eagles again this year. Doug Pensinger/Getty Images

The latest drama created by Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver Terrell Owens made me recall a conversation I had with Chicago Bears quarterback Jeff Blake last year. Blake was a backup with the Eagles at the time and I wanted to get his impression on Owens, particularly the way Owens had resurrected himself in Philadelphia after being such a headache in San Francisco. Blake told me people spent too much time focusing on Owens'  antics. He added that when today's NFL players find themselves wanting to escape unhappy situations, they have no other choice but to act like fools. I laughed when Blake first told me that. I get it now.

Owens is no stranger to acting like a fool. In fact, he's perfected the art, taking his controversial behavior to heights that only Dennis Rodman or Ron Artest could relate to. But as I watched the end of Owens' career in Philadelphia play out this week -- a contentious conclusion that I once foolishly thought wouldn't happen because of Owens' success last season -- I came away thinking that this wasn't just about T.O. being T.O. It was about yet another unhappy NFL player deciding to drive his employer bonkers.

I'm convinced Owens knew this was the only card he could play back after the Eagles chose not to give him a new contract, and he played it as well as he manipulates the media. Let's be honest: This stopped being about money a long time ago because Owens certainly realized in the preseason that the Eagles weren't going to bend to his financial demands. It stopped being about attention last week, when Owens reportedly scuffled with Eagles team ambassador Hugh Douglas. Once Owens decided his relationship with the Eagles had soured, he was hell bent on one thing: making everybody's life miserable.

Of course, this isn't a new move for him. The Niners didn't want to re-sign him following the 2003 season because of a litany of issues, including Owens's constant trashing of two coaches (head coach Steve Mariucci and offensive coordinator Greg Knapp), the quarterback (Jeff Garcia) and anybody else whom he decided to hate.