Terrell Owens Says George Teague Wasn’t Defending the Star
By Reid Hanson
Sep 22, 2013; Arlington, TX, USA; Dallas Cowboys fans lift a flag with the star on it in the stands before the game against the St. Louis Rams at AT&T Stadium. The Dallas Cowboys beat the St. Louis Rams 31-7.Mandatory Credit: Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports
Terrell Owens Q&A Celebrating on the Star & Why Teague Really Hit Him
This weekend former Dallas Cowboy, Terrell Owens, spoke at the Moonlight and Miracles charity event in El Paso. I was lucky enough to be in attendance and take part in a short group Q&A with the much maligned former Dallas Cowboy.
Over the past 2 days I broke down Terrell Owens’ discussion. For a recap check out:
Terrell Owens talks Jerry Jones
TO says who he thinks is the greatest WR and Coach
This is the final part of the Terrell Owens Q&A. We discuss TO the 49er and the (in)famous celebration on the star. TO tells us why George Teague really hit him…
TO On Kneeling on the Star in Dallas
"That wasn’t me taunting [the Cowboys]. Being in San Francisco I understood the rivalry… At the end of a practice session we happened to be right in the middle of the star, so I’m always kind of creative… At this point it was like October so I already had a lot of touchdowns and I was running out of touchdown celebrations. I was telling the guys, if I score, I’m going to come right here. But I wasn’t doing it to taunt anyone by it, I was just coming here to pay my respect…"
TO on why George Teague really hit him when he celebrated on the star.
"So the second time that I went that’s when I took the hit. I think honestly a lot of people saw the play unfold and they thought he was retaliating because I went there the first time. But if you watch the game closely, it wasn’t because I scored, it was because…we were on the goalline, I think Garrison Hurst was the running back, they were running my way and George Teague was coming up as the safety so I had to block him, and I literally bench-pressed him and I pancaked him. And he couldn’t do anything because it was a legal block. So once I scored the next go around, that was him getting back at me for pancaking him. But nobody knows that. Everyone thinks he was retaliating [for celebrating on the star]."
I honestly had a hard time believing this “TO Tale”. I’m not denying the vicious block on Teague happened, I just don’t think that was George Teague’s primary motivation. If so, Teague would have found a more immediate time to attack that was preferably between the whistles. I just think Teague would have rather punked TO during the gameplay rather than risk penalty or fine on a hit after the whistle.
Whatever the truth is, the Play on the Star is forever written in Cowboys history. When I close my eyes and picture the star, I can always conjure two images:
- Emmitt Smith with outstretched arms after breaking the rushing record
- George Teague laying a licking on Terrell Owens
Maybe Teague didn’t care about the honor of the star and rather just wanted revenge. I don’t personally believe TO’s take, but I could be wrong. In the end I don’t really care “why”, I’m just happy it happened. Thanks for the memories TO.
The Terrell Owens Q&A was recorded and transcribed personally so minor human error is possible. I tried to include all relevant material and clarified when necessary.
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