T.O. missed random drug test, says 'no big deal'

[June 10, 2008]  IRVING, Texas (AP) -- Terrell Owens acknowledged Monday having missed a random drug test several weeks ago, blaming it on a "communication problem involving cell phone numbers."

He also said he was in New York last week talking about his absence with league officials the day he agreed to a $34 million new contract with the Dallas Cowboys.

Owens was not suspended or fined, although he could've been, according to ESPN.com, which first reported the story, citing NFL, team and player sources. The report also said Owens now could face up to 24 tests per year as part of the league's "reasonable cause" testing program for performance-enhancing drugs.

"I'm not really worried about anything," Owens said Monday afternoon in an interview with The Associated Press. "It's not a big deal. Anything I do is going to grab headlines. I have nothing to hide. I've made a statement and that's it. It's basically a dead issue."

In the rest of the statement, Owens said: "It was openly discussed and cleared up in a meeting that I had at the NFL office last week. I have been in the NFL for over 12 years and have never had a positive test for substance of any kind. That includes tests that took place as recently as last month. The matter was resolved to everyone's satisfaction last Tuesday, and everyone has moved on."

Cowboys owner Jerry Jones also released a statement in which he referred to the testing issue as "a procedural matter that was resolved last week."

"We were aware of all of the facts prior to Terrell's meeting in New York, and we had no reservations about extending his contract," Jones said. "We make those decisions based upon our knowledge of a player over the course of his entire career. We signed Terrell to the new contract because there are no issues with Terrell."

Owens received a $7 million bonus and a $27 million, three-year extension that keeps him with the Cowboys through 2011, the season he turns 38. The deal was agreed to last Monday while Owens was in New York, then signed when he arrived in Dallas the next day.

At the news conference about the contract, Owens mentioned having been in meetings at the league office. He called it "just taking care of business." Pressed further, he said, "It was fine. ... It was minor."

According to ESPN.com, the phone number Owens gave testers as his primary contact belonged to his agent, Drew Rosenhaus, and that an alternate phone number was answered by a voice mailbox that was full. Rosenhaus and his brother-business partner, Jason, were with Owens in New York last week.

For all the outlandish things surrounding Owens in his career, most have stemmed from his flamboyant personality -- such as squabbles with teammates and coaches, complaints about contracts and even a risque skit with one of TV's "Desperate Housewives." Two years ago, he made headlines for what police initially considered a suicide attempt, but later was classified as an "accidental overdose" on prescription medicine.

[Associated Press; By JAIME ARON]

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