Terrell Owens: Why T.O. Can't Ride off into the Sunset Quite Yet

Terrell Owens Shouldn't Let His ACL Surgery End His Career

Very early on in his career, Terrell Owens made it very clear to all of us that it was a good idea to expect the unexpected whenever he was around. One minute, he could be mocking another team by celebrating on their midfield logo. The next, he could be doing sit-ups in his front yard and pining for a job at the same time.

Yes sir, very few contemporary athletes epitomize the phrase "out of the blue" quite like the great T.O. He proved it again on Sunday night, albeit not in a way he probably would have liked.

In case you missed it, ESPN's Chris Mortensen reported that the 37-year-old Owens had undergone surgery for a torn ACL earlier this month. The report came as a total surprise, as it's just not every day that an athlete tears his ACL and then successfully keeps it a secret.

We still don't know for sure how Owens tore his ACL. One source told Mortensen that the free agent wide receiver hurt himself during a personal workout. Another told him that Owens had suffered the injury while filming a VH1 television show.

No matter how Owens managed to hurt himself, the prevailing notion among football fans and pundits alike is that this could be the end of Owens’ career.

But not so fast. The idea of Owens retiring was shot down by Drew Rosenhaus, Owens' esteemed agent, Tuesday morning.

"He's many, many months into his recovery now. He's doing fantastic," Rosenhaus said during a SportsCenter call-in this morning. He would go on to say that any and all speculation that Owens is retiring is sheer "nonsense."

I don't know if I'm alone here, but it's a personal policy of mine to never listen to anything that comes out of Rosenhaus' mouth. All sports agents are born to BS people, but Rosenhaus has never had a problem turning his own BS meter up to 11.

However, I'm willing to make an exception this time around. While I don't buy the idea that Owens has already been recovering for "many, many months" now, I do believe that he's not retired quite yet. We know from Owens' own insistence that he's hoping to play a 16th year in the NFL if and when the 2011 season rolls around, and his ACL surgery does not wash away the fact that Owens still has plenty to play for.

First and foremost, the one thing Owens still hasn't done in his career is win a Super Bowl. He has definitely earned a reputation as a selfish player, but we shouldn't kid ourselves by thinking that Owens could care less about the idea of clutching the Lombardi Trophy. The next player who doesn't care about winning the Super Bowl will be the first.

As far as personal accomplishments go, Owens is already pretty set. He already ranks in the top five in career receptions (1,078), receiving yards (15,934), and receiving touchdowns (153). Nevertheless, one more productive year will allow Owens to keep moving up the ranks, which will further solidify his case for Canton.

Even if you push all this aside, it's still hard to imagine Owens choosing this moment to retire. He has always been in love with his own hype, and he has always craved attention. Out of concern for his long-term health, retiring now would smart thing to do, but it is not what the Terrell Owens we've all come to love/hate would do.

Make no mistake, Owens is definitely closer to the end of his career than he is to the beginning, especially now that he’s had this surgery. When he does go out, however, it will be with a bang. Not a whimper.