Michael Ventre

On Tuesday, sports agent Drew Rosenhaus saved a four-year-old boy who had essentially drowned in a hotel swimming pool by administering CPR. In sports these days, you don’t hear nearly enough uplifting stories like this one, so kudos to Rosenhaus for his heroic efforts and may the little boy live a long and happy life.

But now maybe Rosenhaus can do a reversal of sorts with his highest-profile client, Terrell Owens, by keeping T.O.’s windpipe shut instead of allowing it to blast hot air unchecked. What’s coming out of there lately can’t be good for T.O., Rosenhaus or the planet.

The latest Owens’ chestnut came during an interview with the Miami Herald, in which he evoked the name of Jesus. Mentioning Jesus in American society is a common occurrence, and it happens frequently in sports as well. But naturally, Owens tiptoed along the sideline of good taste with his mention: “At the end of the day, I don’t have to worry about what people think of me, whether they hate me or not. People hated on Jesus. They threw stones at him and tried to kill him, so how can I complain or worry about what people think?”

Now, I understand what he’s saying here, so I won’t beat up on him. This was Owens’ clumsy attempt to suggest that his problems – making an obscene amount of money for playing a game, but wanting more -- pale in comparison to the ones Jesus faced. And I would tend to agree. While it may be true that Jesus never had to deal with Philadelphia fans, he did endure hardship and persecution nonetheless.

The larger issue here is this: Can’t T.O. just keep his mouth shut?

Is that too much to ask? If he decides he will boycott training camp in an effort to force the Philadelphia Eagles to give him more money one year after he signed a seven-year, $49 million deal, can’t he do it quietly, behind the scenes? Does he have to keep yammering to anyone with a microphone or notepad, causing an uproar every time he flaps his gums?

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I realize he wasn’t exactly comparing himself to Jesus, but isn’t there a firewall in his brain that prevents potentially volatile comments from slipping out? We all have one; some are more porous than others. T. O. must have been born without one, or he had it removed because he realized he enjoyed making headlines.

He followed the Jesus remark with this: “How can you justify hating me after I worked so hard rehabilitating from a broken leg to get back to the Super Bowl to help our team win? Really, you’ve got to look at who the villain really is in this thing.”

Hate? Villain? It seems like T.O. chooses his words carefully, for maximum dramatic effect. He doesn’t belong in a “Desperate Housewives” skit for “Monday Night Football.” He belongs on “Desperate Housewives.”

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