Owens: 'There Was No Suicide Attempt'

Superstar wide receiver Terrell Owens denied that he attempted suicide Wednesday, just hours after being released from a hospital for allegedly overdosing on pain medication.

"There was no suicide attempt," Owens said, explaining that he mixed painkillers with supplements and became groggy.

Owens apologized to his team, the Dallas Cowboys, for being a distraction and refuted reports that he is depressed.

"I'm not depressed by any means," Owens said during a news conference at the team's headquarters.

Owens blamed a combination of hydrocodone, a generic form of Vicodin, with all-natural supplements for making him ill.

"It's very unfortunate for it to go from an allergic reaction to a suicide attempt," he said.

Owens said it's "absurd" to suggest that he took 35 pills. He also said he didn't have his stomach pumped at the hospital.

Owens said his publicist, Kim Etheredge, made the emergency call because she was concerned he was non-responsive.

Owens wore workout gear and no bandage on his broken right hand. The star receiver smiled and seemed more amused than peeved at the latest ruckus surrounding him. He said he feels very capable of playing Sunday in Tennessee, despite this incident and his broken hand.

Prior to speaking, Owens caught a few passes at team headquarters Wednesday afternoon. Owens, who flashed a thumbs-up when leaving a hospital late Wednesday morning, arrived in time to get in some work with quarterback Drew Bledsoe.

"He seemed to be in good spirits and looked like he was looking forward to getting back on the field as soon as he could," Bledsoe said. "I was happy to see him here and happy to see him running around and going. ... Obviously, he's doing fine."

Earlier in the day, a confusing series of events swirled around T.O. with few answers.

Police and fire officials held news conferences to say they couldn't talk because of privacy issues.

Dallas coach Bill Parcells said he didn't know any details, other than it was "apparently an unfortunate set of circumstances." He said it was too early to tell whether Owens might be able to practice this week or even play Sunday against Tennessee.

"I don't have enough information yet," he said. "I wouldn't (decide) anything right now. I'm talking with a good deal of ignorance on the subject."

Parcells said he had not spoken with Owens, but had discussed the case for a few minutes with team owner Jerry Jones.

"I think he felt the same way," Parcells said. "We just need to figure out what's going on."

After getting almost strictly Owens-related questions, Parcells cut off his usual 25-30 minute session after only nine minutes. He ended it by getting up from his chair and saying, "When I find out what the hell is going on, you will know. Until then, I'm not getting interrogated for no reason."

The series of events began a little before 8 p.m. Tuesday.

Etheredge said she was at Owens' home when he took some pain medicine for his broken right hand. Concerned by how he began acting, Etheredge said in various interviews Wednesday with Dallas-area media that she called 911. Owens was taken to a hospital, with Etheredge saying it was an allergic reaction to the medicine.

But early Wednesday, several media outlets received a police report — one that had yet to be released by the authorities — saying Owens had attempted suicide by overdosing on the painkillers, even putting two more pills into his mouth after an unidentified friend intervened.

The police document, first reported by WFAA-TV, said Owens was asked by rescue workers "if he was attempting to harm himself, at which time (he) stated, 'Yes.'"

When officially released by police, about half the document was blacked out, including the phrases "attempting suicide by prescription pain medication" and "a drug overdose," as well as the details of Owens having two pills pried from his mouth and Owens saying "Yes" when asked if he intended to harm himself.

An initial news report had said that Owens had suffered an "allergic reaction" to his medication, but Gina Miller of CBS affiliate KTVT-TV saw him on a gurney being wheeled into Baylor Medical Center.

Etheredge, who said she was the friend cited in the police document, told Dallas-area media Wednesday that the police got the story wrong.

The tape of the 911 call could help clear things up. The Associated Press filed a request under the Freedom of Information Act to get its contents, but fire department officials said it would not be available before late Wednesday.

Etheredge did not immediately respond to repeated calls and e-mails from the AP. She, former Cowboys player Deion Sanders and agent Drew Rosenhaus were with Owens at his home and presumably would be joining him at team headquarters.

Police Lt. Rick Watson said during a brief news conference that he could only confirm paramedics called police to say they were taking Owens to the hospital. He said no more details would come from the police because no laws were broken.

At the police news conference, Watson released the version of the police narrative with certain sections blacked out. The full report was obtained by several news outlets and reported first by WFAA. The AP received the full version from WFAA.

The report also said the friend told rescue workers that a prescription for 40 pills was filled on Sept. 18, and that Owens "had only taken five pills up to this date."

According to the police report, Dallas Fire and Rescue was called Tuesday evening regarding someone "attempting suicide by prescription pain medication." Officers arrived to find Owens being stabilized by ambulance workers, who then took him to Baylor University Medical Center, where the police report said he was treated "for a drug overdose."

Owens, one of the league's top receivers during his 11-year NFL career, is best known for wild stunts on the field and other publicity-seeking antics off it.

When the Cowboys signed him to a $25 million, three-year deal in March, they said their background checks indicated no red flags. In fact, team consultant Calvin Hill — a former Cowboys star who mostly deals with troubled players — said during training camp that his department was not involved with Owens because he didn't have a history of those kinds of problems.

Owens broke the bone leading to his right ring finger during a game a week ago Sunday. The next day, doctors screwed in a plate so the bone could heal without fear of further damage. Cowboys coach Bill Parcells said last week that the pain medicine made Owens ill.

Owens had not practiced since the injury, but because Dallas had a bye this past weekend he did not miss a game. Parcells had said there was a chance Owens could play Sunday.