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The locker-room fight in November 2005 that ultimately broke up the Philadelphia Eagles‘ Super Bowl band has two different tunes, to hear the primary conductors tell the tale. There is Terrell Owens’ side of the story. And there is Hugh Douglas’ side of the story.
Which version is the right one? Well, it really depends on perspective. Let’s start by rehashing what Owens revealed during the June 29 episode of Fubo Sports’ “Getcha Popcorn Ready with T.O. & Hatch.” In it, the Hall of Famer paints a picture of himself getting bullied in the training room. Douglas called him out for skipping practice, then a disrespected Owens felt the need to stand up for himself. The two players grappled, maybe a punch or two was thrown, and that was it.
Owens was in the right, according to him. Douglas said, “He is misremembering.” Here is Owens’ version of the 18-year-old story that helped get him kicked off the team a few days later:
[Douglas] was, like, some people are in here acting hurt, they don’t want to practice — something along those lines — so I knew he was referring to me and I was, like, what? Me? Out of all people, why would I be trying to skip practice?
Tensions were high at that time, so I got up out of there. And we had a little bit of a confrontation, an encounter, and it wasn’t really any contact or blows thrown. I made my presence known. He made his presence known. Jeremiah Trotter can probably do a better job telling this story than I can. He got in between us so I wasn’t afraid of [Douglas] at this point.
Terrell Owens Instigated 2005 Locker-Room Fight
Douglas recalled the November 2, 2005, incident a bit differently as he explained his side of the story on SportsRadio 94 WIP’s Midday Show on June 29. The three-time Pro Bowler insisted Owens started the beef on that fateful day. He walked by Douglas and ran his mouth, saying something that rubbed the 281-pounder the wrong way. From there, things escalated in a major way.
“I’m petty. And I’m not going to sit there and just let anybody say anything to me,” Douglas said. “The language was colorful. It was real street for five or six minutes.”
Then, Owens decided to take action by squaring up his shoulders. Douglas, sensing punches were going to be thrown, readied for battle. He detailed a wild scene, with Jeremiah Trotter stuck in the middle trying to play the role of peacemaker:
He’s like, I’m tired of you talking stuff, what you want to do? So I knew it wasn’t only a matter of time before punches were thrown. And as an older guy I’m not about to be sucker-punched by anybody. So this is where it got hilarious … I threw the first punch, missed. He threw a punch, he missed.
So I hear Trot say grab him, like Trot put me in the chicken wing. I was mad because I’m like, damn, Trot about to get me beat up. That’s what I’m thinking because Trot had a choke hold on me where I couldn’t get out of it, so I’m like, damn Trot you’re supposed to be my boy — and then somebody grabbed TO and it was broken up, and that was it. It was fast.
Moral of the Story: Don’t Wear a Cowboys Jersey
The Douglas-Owens fight essentially started when the mercurial receiver wore a Michael Irvin jersey after the Cowboys beat the Eagles 33-10 on October 9, 2005. That’s big no-no in Philadelphia. So, to no one’s surprise, Owens was called on the carpet by everyone in town.
His biggest critic was Angelo Cataldi, who lambasted him on the radio the next morning for quitting on the Eagles. Douglas, just beginning his sports broadcasting career, was sitting in the studio that day. While he refused to say Owens “quit” on the team, he did criticize his teammate’s wardrobe choice. Everything got back to Owens which angered him to no end.
“I’m not defending him, but I’m not killing him,” Douglas said. “I’m not saying I thought he quit. I’m not saying a whole lot. Now was he disrespectful for wearing the Dallas Cowboys jersey? Yes, he was. I thought that was disrespectful, especially after a loss to the Dallas Cowboys. It was ridiculous.”
Fast-forward to 2023. Both Owens and Douglas have made amends. Neither one of them has carried any kind of grudge, although they clearly have very different memories.
“Me and TO, we don’t have any beef,” Douglas said. “I have a tremendous amount of respect for him, but he is misremembering the story because I did not instigate that.”
Owens said: “Me and Hugh, we cool now, we’ve talked about. We’ve kind of moved on or what have you. I laugh about it.”
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