Owens to Fight trade to Baltimore

[chrishcovga]

At 11:15 p.m. (est). Terrell Owens was interviewed by Andrea Kramer , and stated that he and his agent would pursue legal means to have the trade that sent him to the Ravens nullified.

Owens stated that the Players Assoc. failed to notify himself and his agent about the Feb. 21.st and 23rd. deadlines concerning his rights to Free AGency.

Owens went on to say that while talking to Gene Upshaw,(NFLPA), that he was never notified by normal means of NFLPA methods , including his agent , which is why his agent ,waited till Feb 24th to announce his right to FA ,after the "FRANCHISE TAG" could no longer be put on him.

Owens stated that his agent and the 49ers had agreed to a verbal contract with Andy Reid and the Eagles, and were to re-convene after the Jevon Kearse press conference.

Ozzie Newsome then called T.O. to say that he had been traded to the Ravens.

Owens believes that the 49ers are responsible for this confusion and are going to fight this trade.He also stated that his rights to become a Free Agent were violated by the 49ers and the NFLPA, to which Gene Upshaw Agreed that he wasn't properly notified.

[BengalszoneBilly]

I'm LOVING this!! Just what Baltimore needs...MORE controversy and turmoil!! If it weren't for bad luck, they'd have no luck at all anymore!!

[AGrizzlyBaer]

This is great!

[BengalszoneBilly]

Owens upset over trade to Ravens

Pro Bowler sounds off on FOX sports show, allegedly blasts 49ers on Web site

By Jamison Hensley

Sun Staff

Originally published March 5, 2004, 9:54 PM EST

If Terrell Owens has his way, the mercurial Pro Bowl receiver will never play for the Ravens.

A day after he was traded from the San Francisco 49ers for a second-round pick, Owens wrote on his Web site, "I'm a Raven for now, but not for long," and reiterated his desire to play for the Philadelphia Eagles on Fox Sports' Best Damn Sports Show Period.

The Ravens, meanwhile, remain firm on keeping Owens despite his repeated protests and attributed his troubling remarks as a tactic to renegotiate his current contract. Team officials are still looking to bring Owens to Baltimore next week for a physical, which is the final step in completing what many believe is the biggest trade in the Ravens' nine-year history.

But according to Owens, 30, a player known for his over-the-top antics and no-holds-barred sound bites, this trade will only result in controversy - and not him suiting up for the Ravens.

"Right now, Terrell Owens is kind of unemployed at the moment," Owens said in a television interview Friday. "I don't have anything bad to say about Baltimore. And Baltimore was definitely one of my choices, but they weren't high on the list. My priority was trying to get to the Eagles."

Owens, however, still ranks high on the Ravens' list. The four-time Pro Bowl performer is the big-play receiver that the Ravens have desperately wanted since coach Brian Billick arrived six seasons ago.

When told of Owens' comments, Ravens officials implied that they - and not Owens - have all the leverage in this situation since they control his rights under NFL rules.

"Terrell Owens has a valid and binding contract with the Baltimore Ravens," Ravens general manager Ozzie Newsome said. "This is not the first time I've heard of a player being disgruntled. Ray Lewis was disgruntled before he got his new deal. A disgruntled football player is nothing new to me. It's part of the business."

Asked if the Ravens had any intentions of trading Owens, Newsome said, "No. Right now, I want Terrell Owens to be playing for us opening day."

Owens' main point of contention is not having the freedom to choose where he could play.

He was scheduled to be an unrestricted free agent this offseason but missed a deadline last month to void the final three seasons of his current deal. As a result, the 49ers could trade their disgruntled receiver.

According to The Philadelphia Inquirer, the Eagles had reached a long-term, multimillion dollar agreement with Owens, only to see the 49ers finalize a trade with the Ravens instead.

The Ravens offered a second-round pick, while Philadelphia was only willing to deal a fifth-rounder and a receiver (either James Thrash or Billy McMullen). 49ers general manager Terry Donahue said of the decision to go with the Ravens, "Far and away, this was the best opportunity we had, and we jumped at it."

Owens said he believes the 49ers made the deal with the Ravens out of spite because the sides have had a tumultuous relationship.

"I'm just as shocked as everyone else," Owens said. "We were on the cusp of having something worked out with the Eagles and then the unfortunate happened within a matter of minutes.

"I want to go where I feel comfortable and where I can be happy. I don't want to go anywhere where someone just trades me off to. I feel like I'm entitled as a free agent to have my choice. Obviously I want to get paid, but at the same time, I want to get happy, too."

Owens' agent, David Joseph, has reportedly told league officials that Owens plans to file a grievance against the 49ers.

Spokesmen for the NFL and the NFL Players Association said no such action has taken place. An NFLPA spokesman said in an e-mail, "Once his agent failed to submit the proper paperwork in by the deadline of Feb. 21, Terrell Owens forfeited his right to become a free agent and became the property of the 49ers."

Eagles president Joe Banner said the team will not pursue any action with the league.

The Ravens, who could force Owens to play out the remaining three years of his deal (which would pay him a total of $17.7 million), have been trying to work out a new contract since the trade to avoid difficulties.

If the sides fail to reach a new agreement, Owens has two choices: He can either play under his current deal or hold out. Ravens officials confirmed that Owens' contract doesn't allow him to void any of the final three years of his deal.

Newsome said he has sensed no animosity after talking with Owens' agent Friday.

According to Newsome, he talked with Owens before and after Thursday's trade and described the conversation as positive. "Terrell Owens said, 'Baltimore has a lot of good things going on, and I look forward to being a Baltimore Raven,'" Newsome said.

Owens had a different interpretation.

"I've talked to Ozzie a few times the last couple of days," Owens said. "Honestly, I didn't really feel comfortable with our conversation. He knows I'm really not happy with the situation. I'm going to stand my ground and see if we can't get something resolved."

"This is no different than any offseason where players want to renegotiate," Billick said. "We're doing the best we can and under the best faith we can. We'd like to develop a relationship first. But we'll work through this. I have every confidence he's going to be here when he needs to be here and we're going to get done what we need to get done. In the end, he will enjoy it here and will be a valued member of this team."

Note: Quarterback Kyle Boller underwent successful arthroscopic surgery on his left (non-throwing) shoulder.

[xjjeep90]

I'm LOVING this!! Just what Baltimore needs...MORE controversy and turmoil!! If it weren't for bad luck, they'd have no luck at all anymore!!

Just goes to show you that some of these guys never grow up.

[BengalszoneBilly]

I'm LOVING this!! Just what Baltimore needs...MORE controversy and turmoil!! If it weren't for bad luck, they'd have no luck at all anymore!!     

Just goes to show you that some of these guys never grow up.

You're right about that jeepman, and he ain't gonna change his way's either. He's a negative influence, and a selfish player.

[BengalszoneBilly]

Well here's some more breaking news on Mr. "It's All About Me" Owens:

Players' Union Will Try to Get Owens Deal Rescinded

By Mark Maske

Washington Post Staff Writer

Sunday, March 7, 2004; Page E01

The NFL Players Association plans to file a special-master case within the next few days to try to rescind Thursday's trade that sent Terrell Owens from the San Francisco 49ers to the Baltimore Ravens and have the four-time Pro Bowl wide receiver declared a free agent, union chief Gene Upshaw said yesterday.

Upshaw spoke yesterday to Harold Henderson, the league's executive vice president for labor relations who serves as chairman of the NFL Management Council, about the case and the two are scheduled to speak again today.

If they can't resolve the dispute, Upshaw said, the union will seek to have special master Stephen B. Burbank, who is in charge of settling disputes regarding the NFL's collective bargaining agreement, void the final three seasons of Owens's contract and allow him to negotiate with any team he chooses.

"We think, at this point, that's the only case we can file," Upshaw said in a telephone interview. "That's what we'll do the early part of next week. I want to talk to Harold Henderson in the early part of next week to see if there's something the parties can work out short of that proceeding. If not, that's what we'll do."

The Ravens, meantime, likely will have an opportunity to nullify the trade. A source familiar with Owens's thinking said last night that Owens will refuse to show up Monday for his physical with the Ravens. Because all NFL trades are contingent upon a player passing a physical, the Ravens will have to decide whether to overturn the trade or waive that provision.

If the union succeeds in undoing the trade, the Ravens would get back the second-round pick in April's draft that they traded to the 49ers for Owens on Thursday and Owens would be an unrestricted free agent. Owens said in televised interviews Friday that he did not want to play for the Ravens and wanted to sign a new contract with the Philadelphia Eagles.

The Management Council ruled recently that Owens remained under contract to the 49ers because he and his agent, David Joseph, missed a Feb. 21 deadline to file the paperwork necessary for Owens to exercise a clause in his contract voiding its three remaining seasons. The 49ers immediately began shopping Owens, who was one of the league's most productive receivers during the past eight seasons but feuded with teammates and coaches and often was at the center of controversies.

Owens and Joseph believed they had a new contract with the Eagles lined up Thursday as a precursor to a trade that would send Owens to Philadelphia for a fifth-round draft pick and likely wide receiver James Thrash. But the 49ers preferred the Ravens' offer and completed that deal instead.

The Ravens inherited the remainder of Owens's current contract, which pays him salaries of $5.3 million next season, $5.9 million in 2005 and $6.5 million in 2006. Ravens General Manager Ozzie Newsome said Thursday the club would try to negotiate a new contract with Owens, but those efforts have been unsuccessful. Owens's prospective new contract with the Eagles reportedly would have included a $10 million signing bonus and overall would have been worth more than $6 million per season.

Upshaw refused to comment publicly on the particulars of the case yesterday. But a person familiar with the proceedings said the union will concede that Joseph made a mistake by failing to file the paperwork in time to make Owens a free agent. The person spoke on the condition of anonymity because the case is unresolved.

The deadline for Owens to void the final three seasons in his contract originally was to come in early March, but was changed through an agreement between the league and the union. A source said yesterday that Joseph was notified of that change by fax. Joseph has not returned numerous phone messages in recent days seeking comment on the case.

According to a source, the union will say Owens should be declared a free agent because his intention was to leave the 49ers.

A league spokesman declined to comment on the case Friday. But an NFL official, speaking on the condition that he not be identified because of the sensitive nature of the proceedings, said the league believed Thursday's trade of Owens from the 49ers to the Ravens was valid and there was no reason to overturn it.

Under the collective bargaining agreement, the special master's decision would be subject to review by U.S. District Judge David S. Doty, who oversees the NFL's collective bargaining agreement. A special-master case is a trial-like proceeding and differs from the usual grievance process, in which the parties present their cases to an arbitrator.

[chrishcovga]

Speaking of childish behavior.... T.O. was screaming... TRADE ME TRADE ME TRADE ME, and then when the 49ers did.. he said..

HOLD on.. I wasn't ready.......

[BengalszoneBilly]

Speaking of childish behavior.... T.O. was screaming... TRADE ME TRADE ME TRADE ME, and then when the 49ers did.. he said..

HOLD on.. I wasn't ready.......

I would NEVER play golf with this turd. He'd want a mulligan on EVERY HOLE!!