Police report: Terrell Owens attempted suicide
09:31 AM CDT on Wednesday, September 27, 2006
By REBECCA LOPEZ / WFAA-TV
File / AP
Terrell Owens broke his right hand in the Sept. 17 game against the Redskins. Also Online
News 8 Special Report
NEWS 8 EXCLUSIVE
According to a Dallas police report obtained by News 8, Dallas Cowboys star receiver Terrell Owens attempted suicide Tuesday night.
The report says Owens, 32, was depressed and reportedly took prescription pain pills. Owens broke his right hand in a Sept. 17 game against the Washington Redskins.
A woman told police she observed Owens putting two pills in his mouth.
According to the police narrative, the woman said the prescription of 40 pills was filled on September 18 anduntil TuesdayOwens had taken only five pills.
The police report said Owens was asked if he had taken the rest of the prescription; Owens said, "Yes."
According to the report, police also asked if he was trying to harm himself. Owens answered, "Yes."
Owens was treated at Baylor University Medical Center.
"This is stunning news; obviously and incredibly surprising that a man in this position would reach this level of depression," said WFAA-TV sports director Dale Hansen. "There's something terribly wrong here, and hopefully we'll find out as the day goes on."
Hansen said a source at the Cowboys' Valley Ranch headquarters told him that doors to all offices were closed.
A Dallas Cowboys spokesman told News 8 the team has no comment on the police report, nor is any news conference scheduled.
The player's publicist didn't immediately return calls for comment.
Owens, one of the league's top receivers during his 11-year NFL career, is best known for wild stunts on the field and other publicity-seeking antics off it.
When the Cowboys signed him to a $25 million, three-year deal in March, they said their background checks indicated no red flags. In fact, team consultant Calvin Hillwho mostly deals with troubled playerssaid during training camp that his department was not involved with Owens because he didn't have a history of those kinds of problems.
Dallas police officials said they were planning a news conference later Monday, but did not immediately release a time. A hospital spokeswoman said early Wednesday there was no patient registered as Terrell Owens, although federal privacy laws allow people to block their name from being released.