Owens, Eagles continue spat over contract dispute

Terrell Owens says he will report to the Philadelphia Eagles training camp even though he is hinting that he would agree to a trade because of a contract dispute.<br> <br> Owens, who lives in Atlanta, told the Philadelphia Inquirer Friday for a story on its Web site that he would report to training camp, though he won&#39;t be happy if fails to get a new deal.<br> <br> ``I&#39;ll be there,&#39;&#39; Owens said. ``I mean, the bottom line is that I still believe I deserve a new contract. I still believe I deserve more than what they&#39;ve given me. But I&#39;m not stupid. I&#39;m not about to miss training camp, get fined every day and give them even more reasons to keep from paying me.&#39;&#39;<br> <br> Drew Rosenhaus, Owens&#39; agent said Friday he just wants a fair-market deal.<br> <br> ``We hope it&#39;s something we can work out with the Philadelphia Eagles,&#39;&#39; Rosenhaus told The Associated Press, adding he had talked recently with the Eagles. ``If it&#39;s something we can work out with another team, that is not something we are opposed to.&#39;&#39;<br> <br> He added:<br> <br> ``At this time, the Eagles have said to me they are not interested in trading him and we have not received permission to seek a trade.&#39;&#39;<br> <br> Responding to comments made by Eagles president Joe Banner in Thursday&#39;s Philadelphia Daily News that Owens and Rosenhaus ``don&#39;t think in commonsense terms,&#39;&#39; Owens told Comcast SportsNet Southeast in Atlanta that the Eagles could just trade him.<br> <br> Banner was on vacation and unavailable for comment Friday.<br> <br> ``If he feels that way, then get rid of me,&#39;&#39; Owens said Thursday. ``He wants to talk about Drew and I. If we&#39;re problems, then... trade me, release me. And we can just part ways like adults.<br> <br> ``What it all boils down to is I&#39;m going to do what&#39;s best for my family. I don&#39;t even have to play for the Eagles, to be honest. I can go play with any other team and still be productive.&#39;&#39;<br> <br> Owens, who helped the Eagles reach the Super Bowl in his first season in Philadelphia after eight years with San Francisco, is asking for a new contract a year into a seven-year deal worth almost $49 million.<br> <br> Rosenhaus said earlier this week that Owens was ``50-50&#39;&#39; about reporting to training camp and no decision would be made until the start of camp. Owens, though, has already made his decision.<br> <br> ``I&#39;ll be there. But I won&#39;t be happy, I can tell you that much,&#39;&#39; Owens told the Inquirer. ``Take from that whatever you want.&#39;&#39;<br> <br> Veterans are scheduled to report to Eagles camp on Aug. 1 at Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pa.<br> <br> The Eagles have said they won&#39;t redo Owens&#39; contract.<br> <br> Banner told the Daily News he hoped Owens would report on time.<br> <br> ``If we were dealing with somebody who was looking at this logically and was going to come to a commonsense conclusion, you&#39;d say (he would report),&#39;&#39; Banners said. ``But you&#39;re dealing with two people here who, frankly, don&#39;t think in commonsense terms. Anything can happen. They&#39;re not going to necessarily do what makes sense.&#39;&#39;<br> <br> Owens defied his doctor&#39;s advice by returning to the starting lineup against New England just 6 1/2 weeks after ankle surgery, and was Philadelphia&#39;s best player on offense. He caught nine passes for 122 yards in the Eagles&#39; 24-21 loss to the Patriots.<br> <br> His outrageous personality, flashy touchdown celebrations and deep-ball ability made Owens an instant fan favorite in notoriously fickle Philadelphia. Public sentiment has turned against him, though, with fans flooding talk radio that he&#39;s gotten greedy and that the Eagles could win a Super Bowl without him.<br> <br> Rosenhaus defended his client, saying fans should not have any ill will toward Owens because the renegotiation process was strictly a business decision.<br> <br> ``This is something that is of great urgency and importance to Terrell,&#39;&#39; he said. ``He hasn&#39;t looked to offend anybody. The last faction he want to offend is the Philadelphia Eagles fans. This is not personal.<br> <br> ``I&#39;m confident once we get this resolved, he will go back to the status he previously enjoyed.&#39;&#39;<br> <br> (Copyright 2005 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

http://accesswdun.com/article/2005/7/129659