Terrell Owens is coming out of retirement to play in the Fan Controlled Football League. A professional American football league that allows fans to essentially call the plays for teams throughout the course of the game.
The Fan Controlled Football League Is A Glimpse Into The Future Of Sports
This doesn’t come as a surprise to anyone who’s been keeping up with the Hall of Fame wide receiver, because ever since his official retirement in 2012 he has been keeping himself in peak physical form for a shot at returning to play in the league.
Though there were discussions on a possible return throughout the years, nothing was ever solid, and he hasn’t been on an NFL team since 2012 when he was winding down with the Seattle Seahawks. While many executives were non-committal on the idea of T.O. returning to the league to play the highest level of football, you couldn’t convince Owens to hang the cleats up.
Terrell Owens, 48, is one of the greatest players football has ever seen. The charismatic and sensitive Owens was a five-time Pro-Bowl player, six-time First Team All-Pro, three-time NFL touchdowns leader, and is a member of the 2000’s All-Decade Team. The former San Francisco 49er, Dallas Cowboy and Philadelphia Eagles star has 1,078 receptions (eighth all-time), 15,934 yards (third all-time), and 153 touchdowns in his career (third all-time).
With a résumé like that, one would assume that the former HBCU star would retire happily and move on from football, but he still hasn’t satisfied that thirst for the field. This video clip of him going against a college defensive back at one of Deion Sanders’ Jackson State practices shows you how hot the fire still burns for T.O.
As a result of his confidence and determination, he has found himself back playing professional football — only it is not in the NFL. The FCFL is an alternative football league that allows players like T.O. who can’t be in the NFL for various reasons to come and play and express their talents on a professional level.
The commissioner of the FCFL, Ray Austin, has elaborated on one of the core missions for the league, which is helping athletes chase their dreams and prepare for life after sports.
In an interview with Shadow League editor JR Gamble, Austin said:
“We are working on getting internships for our players. Me being a former NFL player understands that a lot of players give up experience time trying to pursue pro sports and once they are out they have no résumé, which makes it really difficult for them to compete for jobs in the corporate market without any experience. So we want to work with corporate sponsors to offer internships to players in the offseason. We want to offer the same opportunities that I had to players that want to reach their professional goals, but also realistically thinking about the future.”
But ironically enough, the FCFL was life after football for Terrell. He unretired from football and has signed to the FCFL Zappers, a team that features Heisman winner and ex-NFL QB Johnny Manziel.
Manziel, who was a highly touted Heisman winner coming out of Texas A&M, has struggled and spent his early career bouncing in and out of the NFL until he ran out of options. Manziel played in a few other professional football leagues while maintaining a presence on social media, and he seems to have some pull with the Zappers, as he returned for the 2022 season as a player-coach.
Terrell Owens Has Post Hall Of Fame Workout With CFL’s Roughriders
This highly publicized duo looks to be an interesting one, as you have a former college superstar turned-NFL bust and one of the greatest players of all time turning 49 this year.
T.O. Wants Colin Kaepernick In The FCFL
Owens also recently suggested to former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick that he should join the FCFL as well. Kaepernick, who’s been out of the NFL since 2016, has made numerous attempts to return to the NFL, but to no avail.
While he threw for Michigan’s pro day for this upcoming draft and had scouts looking at him, he hasn’t really made any noise, and it’s highly doubtful that he ever touches NFL soil again as a starting quarterback.
“I feel like he could come in and really use this to really sharpen his skill set,” Owens told TMZ Sports, “Especially because there’s some questions about him not playing for such a long time.”
With Kaepernick running out of options and time — he hasn’t played for six years — playing in the FCFL to at least get back into game form while collecting a minor paycheck wouldn’t be the worst idea. Plus he’d be able to perform in front of tons of people on a livestreaming platform with Twitch.
Who could blame Owens for lobbying for Kaepernick, who would be a considerable upgrade over Manziel. “Kaepernick to Owens for the touchdown” is music to the ears of most Black football fans, and they’d instantly become an iconic duo for the culture.
Terrell Owens, the scorned Hall of Famer, is finally getting a legit shot to play professionally again, and no doubt there will be a lot of eyes on him to see if all of his hard work pays off — and if the former super diva receiver can still put his money where his mouth is.
