Will Terrell Owens be signed by the Chicago Rush of the Arena Football League as of March 18, 2012?

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Will Terrell Owens be signed by the Chicago Rush of the Arena Football League as of March 18, 2012?

Asked by:

Kentoine Johnson in Sports » Football
Settled on 01/19/2012 16:45 Settled by

Kentoine Johnson

Winning option: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/01/19/terrell-owens-allen-wranglers-to-announcement_n_1215593.html

Predictions

Yes

Background

Not that one. Or that one. This one.

So, maybe no NFL teams showed up to watch Terrell Owens work out on Tuesday. Owens still maintained confidence that some team would be interested in his services, and as it turns out, he was right. It just might not be the team he had in mind.

It's the Chicago Rush of the Arena Football League. They want to bring T.O. into the 50-yard indoor war.

"We feel that this is an ideal time to approach the future NFL Hall of Famer," said Rush General Manager and President Gene Nudo. "It would be a fantastic honor to add Terrell to our current roster for the 2012 season."

It's a bold move by Nudo, who I believe used to be known in the WWE as "Paul Bearer." Here's a later paragraph from the same news article that in no way makes this look like an empty publicity stunt.

In honor of this contract offer the Chicago Rush is offering an $81 Flex Plan to its loyal fans. The plan includes four tickets to a Chicago Rush home game. Additionally, the package includes four Rush hats as well as four Rush Nike Dri-Fit training shirts to ensure Rush fans will never have to work out shirtless again.

Probably not a reference to this. It's probably motivated purely by football, and not by any media attention Owens is receiving right now, despite the fact that the Arena Football League doesn't play a game until March. Let's hear from the coach.

"Terrell would absolutely complement our current wide receiving corps," said Rush Head Coach Bob McMillen. "His animation and over-the-top energy would be an excellent addition in the locker room, and the Chicago fans would undoubtedly welcome him here in Chicago."

If you're wondering about the rest of that wide receiving corps, it includes Reggie Gray, Vic Hall(notes), Charles Dillon(notes) and Brandon Fields(notes). I have no idea who any of those fellows are, but I'm sure their styles of play would complement T.O.'s very well.

What do you think is more likely to happen? Terrell Owens(notes) playing this year in the NFL, or next year in the Arena League?
http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/blog/shutdown_corner/post/Terrell-Owens-gets-contract-offer-from-WR-needy-?urn=nfl-wp10471

Comments

Comment on this question:

12/30/2011 21:34

Kentoine Johnson

Fri Dec 30 01:22pm EST

Terrell Owens reportedly close to accepting offer from Indoor League team
It's been a rough year for one Terrell Eldorado Owens. After catching 72 passes for 983 yards and nine touchdowns for the Cincinnati Bengals in 2010 â€” his third NFL team in three seasons -- the possible future Hall of Famer was persona non grata in NFL personnel offices. Less the victim of any blackballing and more the recipient of a bill from Father Time, Owens showed in an October workout attended by no NFL teams that six months after knee surgery, he possessed very little of the burst needed to play his position at the highest level.

Owens had received an offer from the Chicago Rush of the Arena Football League soon after that workout, but no acceptance was forthcoming. Perhaps it was the relatively low stake given to players in the IFL -- $225 per game, plus bonuses for winning.

However, another IFL team has upped the ante considerably, and it appears that Owens and agent Drew Rosenhaus might just take the bait. According to the Associated Press, the Allen Wranglers have offered Owens a package more in his ballpark â€” part ownership in the franchise and up to $500,000 for participation in the 2012 season, which starts in February. Team general manager and former Dallas Cowboys receiver Drew Pearson made the offer, which is apparently within league rules.

"It doesn't make a ton of financial sense, but it would make it the No. 1 fan experience in Collin County," team owner Jon Frankel told the Dallas Morning News. "The awareness of the team would skyrocket, and I would imagine we'd sell out every game."

Collin County, Texas includes a small part of the city of Dallas, which would also keep T.O. on Jerry Jones' radar should be blow the IFL up with his play. Of course, Owens played with Jones' Cowboys from 2006 through 2008.

[Related: The top 10 sporting gaffes of 2011]

"At first everybody thought it was a big joke, but it wasn't a big joke. It's serious," Wranglers coach Pat Pimmel told the DMN of the Wranglers' interest in Owens. "It's real close. I think it will be within the next week or so. He would have never got his agent involved in it if he wasn't thinking about it. He can still play, you know that."

So, would the goal be to get back in the NFL? Possibly. There's another possible reason for Owens' potential interest, and it's the obvious one â€” money. According to the Courthouse News Service, Owens recently sued the law firm of Greenberg Traurig over some bad investment advice.

NFL receiver Terrell Owens claims his Greenberg Traurig attorney encouraged him to invest $2 million in an Alabama entertainment center that included a gaming hall with electronic bingo, which is an illegal gambling operation in Alabama, and a violation of NFL policy. And, he claims, the attorney gave others, with interests adverse to his, control of his $2 million.

Owens is seeking damages for professional negligence and breach of fiduciary duty, plus an accounting of his investment. He'll no doubt find easier (and quicker) money in the IFL.
http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/blog/shutdown_corner/post/Terrell-Owens-reportedly-close-to-accepting-offe?urn=nfl-wp14884

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