Getty Former Eagles teammates Terrell Owens and Donovan McNabb talk on the sideline during a game in 2005.
As the luster begins to fade on the Philadelphia Eagles first (and only) Super Bowl championship, let’s revisit the faded one that almost fitted Terrell Owens and Donovan McNabb for rings. The franchise’s one-time dynamic duo bitterly divorced in 2005 and the alimony payments keep coming in the mail.
Owens incited the feud once again on Wednesday during an interview with Master Tesfatsion on Bleacher Report’s “Untold Stories.” In it, the Hall of Famer receiver provides one shocking new wrinkle: McNabb was out partying the night before Super Bowl XXXIX and that’s why he puked in the huddle. Interesting, right?
And he’s got proof. Owens claims several teammates (and one former security guard) saw him drinking alcohol and thinks a hangover contributed to him throwing up. McNabb also threw three interceptions (75.4 passer rating) in the 24-21 loss.
“I know there were teammates I talked to recently who said they saw him throw up in the huddle,” Owens said, via the New York Post. “I’ve talked to teammates since then and know for a fact that he was out the night before the biggest game pretty much of all of our careers there. There were people that saw him out and said he was drinking. I think that contributed to him throwing up in the huddle.”
Owens went on to say that he “personally didn’t see” McNabb puking on the field but the six-time Pro Bowler had no problem using the quarterback’s poor conditioning habits against him.
“He’s obviously had a history of conditioning problems,” Owens said, referring to McNabb’s struggles with weight and injury. “I felt like that was irresponsible, especially for somebody of his caliber, his status, to obviously be the leader of the team, and you’re out the night before the biggest game of your career.”
T.O. says teammates told him Donovan McNabb was out drinking the night before Super Bowl XXXIX
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Freddie Mitchell Furthers Feud on Social Media
Hank Fraley was the first person to blow the whistle on PukeGate in 2005 when he revealed McNabb had been puking in the fourth quarter of Super Bowl XXXIX. The former Eagles center said the quarterback was mumbling at one point, according to ESPN, and Freddie Mitchell had to call out the play in the huddle.
Mitchell — McNabb’s teammates in Philly from 2001-04 — later confirmed the report by saying it was “my first time being the quarterback in the NFL,” and he’s been trolling McNabb about it for almost 16 years now. Predictably, Mitchell had fun with Owens’ new comments while (shamefully?) dragging McNabb’s 2018 DUI arrest into the conversation.
The Eagles released Owens in 2006 on terrible terms stemming from his strained relationship with McNabb that divided the locker room. The Hall of Fame receiver has repeatedly maintained his innocence, countering that most teammates liked him and McNabb got jealous.
Owens Offers Opinion on Hall of Fame Chances
The drama was supposed to be over, especially after Owens received a shiny bronze bust in Canton. It’s a room that McNabb desperately wants to be in as evidenced by his continued campaigning for the honor. He is the greatest signal-caller in Eagles franchise history: 37,276 passing yards, 234 passing touchdowns. So, is he worthy enough?
“I’m not on the voting committee,” Owens said in October. “If his numbers are in line with that class, there’s a number of guys they vote in every year, so if the numbers say he’s a Hall of Famer then he’s a Hall of Famer.”
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