Terrell Owens Has First Practice As Seahawk: Team Violates CBA

Terrell Owens had his first practice with the Seattle Seahawks Wednesday, and all things considered, it was a good day to be T.O.

When Terrell Owens walked off the field with the Cincinnati Bengals at the end of the 2010 season, he probably had no idea what the next two years would bring.

Postseason knee surgery and lack of offers kept Owens out of the NFL in 2011, so he suited up for the Allen Wranglers of the Indoor Football League. Owens was dominant, though he played in just eight games, Fox News reports he had 35 catches for 420 yards and 10 touchdowns before being released and subsequently losing his ownership shares in the Wranglers.

Known for his antics and personality as much as for his incredible receiving career, Owens is back in the big time, trying to make the team in Seattle as another reclamation project of head coach Pete Carroll. Owens may be 38, but he’s a five time all-pro is second all time in receiving touchdowns.

Owens, who proved a solid teammate during most of his last NFL season in Cincinnati, said he’s learned a lot the last couple years, and has plenty of awareness of what he’s done, and what he needs to do.

“It’s all about for me now being part of something rather than being the center of something. I understand a lot of the media is here because of me and again, I have changed in a lot of ways,” Owens told Fox News. ”A lot of things have occurred in the last two years and I’ve had a lot of time to think about things and put things in perspective and I just want to move forward and leave all the things that happened five to 10 years ago behind me. That’s where I am mentally.’

Where he fits into the Seahawks lineup is another question. The team has Braylon Edwards and Sidney Rice on staff. Further, Carroll has had a tendency to go with younger players, giving them a chance to prove themselves rather than relying on veterans with more experience.

Though neither Carroll or Owens lack experience, there was one rookie mistake on Owens’ first day. As USA Today reports, Owens practiced in full pads, but the NFL Collective Bargaining Agreement states that players cannot practice in full pads until day four. The team claimed it was an honest mistake, and it was unclear if they would face any penalty.

It just wouldn’t be a Terrell Owens’ story without some controversy.