Latest Owens saga stirs more controversy

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It was a surreal day.

• Michael Irvin, that noted truth-teller, explaining on ESPN how Terrell Owens was so "discombobulated" after being rushed to the hospital Tuesday night that he had no idea what he was saying to police officers.

• Owens' faithful publicist, Kim Etheredge, essentially calling the Dallas cops opportunistic fabricators in a nationally televised press conference, only to have her client return to the podium and sincerely thank the police department.

• T.O., ever the emblem of perspective, talking about returning to practice and playing in Sunday's game against the Titans in Nashville.

Somewhere in the midst of all of that, I very quickly wrote a column addressing what I believe Owens needs right now, and many of you thoughtfully and passionately e-mailed your feedback in rapid-fire fashion.

Today, I yield the floor to both the positive and negative feedback.

"Having a son with the depression condition, I can't say how much I appreciate your column on T.O. What a nice bit of common sense and understanding in an otherwise critical, non-understanding world. Thanks for the column. It makes so much sense."
-- Tony Kerckhoff, West Covina, Calif.

"I have no interest in sports and I don't even own a TV, so I don't know who this T.O. person is, but God bless you for your thoughtful article. For whatever reason, this is a man in pain and he deserves the same consideration we would want in a similar circumstance. I hope he finds his light at the end of his dark tunnel. Thank you for understanding this and for saying so in print."
-- Pamela Carman, Andrews, N.C.

"Thanks for another excellent piece, Mike. As someone who has suffered from depression, I know the utterly twisted logic and despair that accompany the disease. I hope, for T.O.'s sake, that his 'handlers' will convince him to take care of whatever is causing him such pain. I heard a co-worker make a comment this a.m. similar to the one T.O.'s person made, 'He has 25 million reasons to stay alive.' Doesn't work that way. Again, thanks for an excellent, thoughtful article, and for Mr. Owens' sake, please don't write about this again until he decides to talk more about it."
-- Christopher Krull, Flagstaff, Ariz.

"Your article on T.O. is the most insightful and analytical piece I have ever read in the sports page. Thanks."
-- Doug, Nashville

"Outstanding article, Michael. It really gave me pause. I (somewhat shamefully) admit that when I first heard the story, my first thought was 'It's a cry for help -- I can probably help by sending him my unused Vicodin.' Obviously, I'm not a fan of T.O. or his antics. But your article reminded me that there really is a human being somewhere behind the facade -- a real person with real issues. It would be easy to use this incident as fodder for a multitude of jokes, but the truly decent thing to do would be to leave it be, and let him heal. I'm still not a fan of T.O., but I'm now a fan of yours. Keep up the good work."
-- Scott, Milwaukee

"Thank god you said the right thing: Leave T.O. alone. Only responsible U.S. journalism since Katrina. Bravo. Question: When will everyone get around to the reality that this is a substance-abuse plus mental-illness problem (and probably not depression/suicide)?"
-- Delphi Oracle, Athens, Greece

"Just a note -- your article is almost 100 percent on and I commend you for writing it. I agree that T.O. is probably a mentally unstable person who needs to work through his issues. That said, it isn't the mental-health professionals -- or anyone else for that matter -- who need to 'drive' the healing process. It's T.O. himself. Before mental-health professionals can help him, he will need to recognize that he even needs help and then he will have to seek it out. Ask anyone, those are the hardest steps -- and those are the ones T.O. needs to make. Thanks again for your article."
-- Jennifer Pettengill, MSW, Framingham, Mass.

Thanks, Jennifer. My wife, who's a clinical psychologist, said something very similar after reading the column. I hope he's up to it.