Friday, December 21, 2007
Terrell Owens made some negative comments about QB Tony Romo’s girlfriend.
IRVING, Texas (AP) — Terrell Owens talked about Jessica Simpson and Tony Romo again Thursday — this time, to clear the air.
Just in case anyone thought he was serious Wednesday when he proclaimed his quarterback’s latest girlfriend “not a fan favorite,” Owens explained he was merely having fun with a subject that’s been tossed about by others for days.
T.O. being T.O., however, the story took on a life of its own. He was driving home Wednesday afternoon when friends told him about the ruckus. He wound up on the phone with Romo, who’d already heard from Simpson.
“I guess she was kind of upset about it,” Owens said. “[I] just told him I would do whatever I can to rectify the situation. That’s about it.”
Owens said the call “wasn’t necessarily an apology.”
“I was just kind of explaining to him what kind of happened during the course of the [interview] session,” Owens said. “I kind of told him what was said, and he kind of expressed what Jessica had told him. I was like, ’Look, dude, it wasn’t meant like that. Everybody was having fun, and I was saying what I had to say. There it is, it’s a big story.”’
Owens said he thought things were fine between him and Romo. The quarterback’s take on all this is unknown because he hasn’t talked to reporters since immediately after a 10-6 loss to Philadelphia on Sunday. Questions then focused on his poor performance and injured hand — not his girlfriend.
Romo has been the Cowboys’ starting quarterback for a little more than a year and already has taken the glamour of the position to new levels. He’s dated singer Carrie Underwood and actress Sophia Bush, plus been a judge at the Miss Universe pageant.
A photo of him and Simpson is on the cover of the current edition of People magazine. TV cameras caught her in a luxury suite wearing a pink No. 9 jersey during the game against the Eagles.
Backlash from fans followed — either because he played poorly in a game she attended, because people don’t like her songs and movies ... or, both.
Still, it took Owens’ comments to turn the relationship from gossip-page fodder to sports-page controversy. The momentum continued Thursday, when the offshore gambling Web site Bodog.com posted odds on how long the couple will be together. It’s 2-1 they’ll go at least six months, 6-1 they’ll be done within a month.