When it comes to sports, some rivalries remain on the field, and others continue for life. When Shaq and Kobe sat down for their one-on-one reconcillatory interview it warmed many hearts.
There was still much uncertainty concerning how they would interact, having been at odds for so long.
By the end of the conversation the former teammates cleared the air like mature adults. Not every bitter realtionship ends that positively. Some people don’t know how to “let sleeping dogs lie”. They would rather harbor animosity and take grudges to the grave.
Recently, Hall of Famer Terrell Owens teamed up with FS1 personality and Hall of Fame tight end Shannon Sharpe for his Club Shay Shay podcast to talk all about sports.
One of the most notable sound bites came from Owens who is STILL feuding with his old quarterback and frienemy Donovan McNabb.
Terrell Owens sat down with Shannon Sharpe on @ClubShayShay and said he is "dead serious" about knocking out Donovan McNabb in the boxing ring đłđłhttps://t.co/H379JA3Aae
— The Ears. (@TheEarsGroup) September 9, 2021
McNabb has publicly cited Owensâ behavior for the way their relationship deteriorated. While Owens has publicly blamed McNabb and an alleged “hangover” as the root destruction of Philly’s Super Bowl XXIX failure.
17 years later the beef is still festering. T.O., ever the showman, says he wants all the smoke with McNabb and insists that “(he’d) knock the chunky soup from him.”
The mercurial Owens explained his desire to scrap with McNabb, before adding, âand Iâm dead seriousâ… Iâm knocking him out.â
It all started after the Super Bowl loss to the New England Patriots in 2005.Â
Seven weeks prior to the game, Owens broke his leg and tore a critical ligament in his right ankle. He needed to get surgery and his surgeon wouldnât clear him to play in the Super Bowl against the Pats. Owens ignored the doctors and played  62 of 72 offensive snaps, catching nine passes for 122 yards.
It might have been the bravest performance in Super Bowl history. It should have been his shining moment in a glorious career.
âI did whatever I could to win that game. Whatever ounce I had in my body I put it on the line,â Owens said in a radio interview.
Instead, the media highlighted his feud with McNabb, choosing to paint T.O. as the selfish, prima donna villain. McNabb seemed to revel in it. The situation has haunted T.O. ever since. He can’t let it go.
Center Of The Beef
T.O. told FS1s Undisputed back in March of 2017 that McNabb sparked the drama by telling him to âShut the fâk upâ in a huddle during a game against the Giants. Owens felt disrespected and addressed McNabb in the locker room.
At the time, McNabb was the star QB and a media darling. T.O. was seen as the ultimate diva. A drama king. The guy who really got the ball rolling on the âI love me some meâ mentality that is pervasive in todayâs NFL.
Hard Feelings
In a passionate pow-wow with Chris Carlin, Bart Scott and Maggie Gray on WFAN sports radio in New York, back in 2018, T.O. spoke about the way McNabb has also dissed him publicly over the years.
âHe was real vague and not so complimentary of me and what I brought to the team, T.O. said. Anybody who knows me, Im not going to fake the funk. Iâm not a phony or fake person. I respected him as a man, even when we were going through our situation. I didnât allow that to deter what I had to do on the football field. I knew what my job is.â
Blame It On T.O.
In 2020, McNabb went on various media outlets and explained how he felt Owens was responsible for breaking the Eagles up in 2005.
“Following our Super Bowl loss weâre going through the off-season, then all of a sudden thereâs turmoil here, there are conversations going back and forth and we had to answer those questions instead of focusing on what we need to do in order to get back to where we were and I thought that was a major distraction for us,” said McNabb.
Terrell Owens still really hates Donovan McNabb and wants to knock him out in the boxing ring https://t.co/no9uGPmydi
— JzoSports (@JzoSports) September 6, 2021
Imagine a celebrity boxing match between these guys in Philly at Lincoln Financial Field. They could sell the place out with rabid Eagles fans. One section wearing McNabb jerseys and the other T.O. jerseys.
Maybe they can raise some money for charity, pound on each other a bit and finally set their long-burning feud to bed.
