Terrell Owens cut by Indoor Football League team, Allen Wranglers

When it was first announced Terrell Owens was headed to the Indoor Football league to play for the Allen Wranglers, you couldn’t help but think he’d reached rock bottom. Who would expect 3 months later T.O. would be released and the reasons behind why sounding oddly familiar.

Wranglers owner, Jon Frankel cited Owens’ refusal to play in two upcoming road games that are critical to the Wranglers’ playoff hopes and Owens’ no-show for a scheduled appearance at a local children’s hospital as the breaking points in the team’s relationship with the receiver.

“Our fans are amongst the best in the league, and it is impossible to maintain a player when even our fans notice and comment on a player’s lack of effort both on and off the field,” Frankel said in a statement released to ESPNDallas.com. “We need to do what is best for this team, our fans and this community.”

Owens contract with the team didn’t require that he be present for all road games. That’s important to note. Owens has his legal team addressing the terms of the release and in a statement through his publicist called the parting, “unfortunate” but is said to be focused on making a return to the NFL.

Personally, I think Terrell needs to really focus on the second phase of his career. Not because I don’t feel he has something to contribute physically but because I think teams simply view him as a distraction at this point and not worth the risk. Any of his upside could be found in a younger, cheaper option minus all the baggage. While I’m sure he needs the NFL money, the desire to play for him seems to be motivated more so by not knowing what to do with himself outside of football than money.