ESPN's "Pardon the Interruption" took a break from its LeBron James speculation-fest Thursday afternoon to discuss former Bill Terrell Owens … and to take a shot at Buffalo.
Owens went on a national radio station … 104.5 The Zone … to vent about his continued unemployment this offseason.
He doesn't blame the situation on his subpar stats from his one season with the Bills.
The culprit, in T.O.'s mind? ESPN.
"I may do 99 good things right, and if I do one thing wrong ESPN and all the people over there make it out to be the worst thing ever," Owens told the station, as recounted by PTI's Michael Wilbon.
Fill-in co-host Dan LeBatard, a Miami Herald columnist, said Owens has been a victim of media "overreaction" and praised the mercurial wide receiver for his good conduct last season.
"He was good last year, Mike, or at least he was on very good behavior," LeBatard said. "That Bills team wasn't easy to behave on. That city's not easy to behave in. And he behaved himself."
This prompted Wilbon to ask, "Why is Buffalo not easy to behave in?"
LeBatard, explaining himself, replied, "Just because you're losing and angry and there's nothing to do and you sob on the end of your bed at night."
Hey, Dan, before I go cry myself to sleep at the foot of my bed tonight, I just wanted to say this: Go choke on a stone crab claw.
-- Stephen T. Watson
Pro Basketball Hall of Famer Charles Barkley was his usual unrestrained self on the nationally syndicated "Dan Patrick Show" this morning. Among a series of fantastic takes also including his thoughts on starring in a spin-off of "The White Shadow" and Lane Kiffin, the TNT analyst also weighed in on the Bills hiring Chan Gailey.
Remember, Barkley was outspoken last year when his alma mater, Auburn, hired the white Gene Chizik as its football coach over then UB coach Turner Gill.
Here is what Barkley said about the Bills turning to Gailey:
"I call it the Mickey Rooney rule instead of the Dan Rooney rule. Because they interview these black coaches after white guys have already got the job -- that's a travesty. That is a flat-out travesty.
"But ['Inside the NBA' host Ernie Johnson] corrected me. I said, 'You know, I'm not happy with the Mickey Rooney rule.' He says, 'Dan Rooney.' I said, 'Well, you interview black coaches after white guys have already got the job, that's the Mickey Rooney rule.'
"And let me tell you something, I don't mean no disrespect to Chan Gailey, but listen, Leslie Frazier has done a fantastic job. And when you start getting guys off the street, giving them the chances before guys that have been doing a great job, that really pisses me off.
"I like Roger Goodell -- and the way he hammers these players, he's got to start hammering these teams, man. They just can't go get guys off the steets instead of hiring young black assistants."
---Geoff Nason
