Wednesday, September 27, 2006

Televised Demise

This whole Ter.rell Ow.ens thing struck a major nerve this morning.

So you know how he broke his finger in a game, had surgery like, the next day, and then was taking some pain meds for it. Last week Coach Parcels said he was having a bad reaction to them.

So apparently his publicist was with him last night and he took the whole bottle of pills, and she tried to pry the last two pills from his hands.

The publicist tried to spin the story initially. (PS...I'm a publicist. It's her job to lie.)

As I'm typing, the Dallas Pol.ice Dept is holding their press conference (which is terribly uninformative, by the way).

Imagine being this low (IF TRUE), and then having it broadcast worldwide.
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Three summers ago I got a call from a kid who grew up across the street from me.

"Wise, um, The One's dead."
"Why?"

They found his body in the river in Alb.any. Ever the journalist, the first thing I did was call the AB.C News affiliate there to confirm the info. Suicides are not usually reported, but they were able to tell me that none of the three floaters that turned up in the last few days had been identified as black males.

Three days later I was back on the block where we all grew up... where I fell in love with The One at the tender age of 6...the corner where I'd go out and meet him at his bus stop before school at age 12... where I'd sit on his lap as puberty raged...where the processional led his closed casket to his final resting place.

I hadnt spoken to him in a while, yet I still loved him with the affection of a preteen. I had had a dream about him literally 2 weeks prior, and then emailed him and his brother to say what's up. Was terribly disappointed when the email came back to me undeliverable.

I guess he had already begun to withdraw from the world by then, and now he's gone, of his own volition.
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A guy who was in my 9th grade Spanish class didn't show up for school one day, and by the end of that week we were all lined up at his wake. He chose a rope.
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This woman stopped my boy Flavius in the grocery store one day a few year back. She recognized him as one of her son's old classmates. She said he had been gone for a few years now. He chose a gun.
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In college one of my closest friends at a different school told me about the day he slept for 27 straight hours. The pills didn't take.

(IF TRUE), the shit hits close to home...on a level beyond a police report or breaking news flash. On a level that makes me know that all of Ow.ens' antics were indeed for attention. But I wish for once he could live outside of the news. I don't wanna hear about it, cuz it's none of my business. But if I watch tv or go online, I'll be force-fed all the spin and speculation.

But imagine what it must be like for him to recover from his own demise on TV.

11 comments:

The Brown Blogger said...

New reports are surfacing that this was all spin on top of spin.

I'm hoping that's true.

No need for this brother to continue this type of sufferage.

Amadeo said...

I could imagine him being depressed...I mean if everytime I screwed up (or people thought I did) a news crew showed up where ever I was...well I'd probably hurt someone else. However, Sunday night Chris Simms was in critical condition so the first report isn't that trustworthy.

Blah Blah Blah said...

Would be sad if a week, a month, a year from now we looked back on Tuesday as a jack-ass move when we should have really looked at it as a cry. Hope it won't be too late.

Would also hate to think that this act will look like a glorification of suicide..."after all a star athlete did it"... 'cause kids will glorify so many things that shouldn't be.

I use to have these huge bouts of depression...I never thought of taking my own life...but thought about not waking up...ever. It passed but that doesn't mean that it can't happen again.

I don't want to know if it was or wasn't a suicide attempt....just want for that man to take stock and get checked...and medicated if need be. My heart goes out to him...even if it wasn't anything but a bad reaction.

nikki said...

him being depressed wouldn't surprise me. i've always thought he was one of the most unhappy brothas i've ever seen. folk act like money is supposed to buy his contentment, but that's some booshit.

this entry was beautifully written though. suicide ain't nearly as non-existent among black folk as we'd like to believe. shit, many of us just choosing the slower route like abusive relationships or alcohol or having unsafe sex.

So...Wise...Sista said...

I'm usually the first to say 'ha ha' at the media...but this time you can't...cuz you dont get much more official than a police report, which was the initial source. The entire thing is so bizarre and uncomfortable. Like, in one moment the word SUI.CIDE is repeated over and over, and the next, this ngga is catching footballs!

Then of course now, the 2nd day angle is 'was it true or not?' which is even more annoying. Really, I couldn't say it any better than you did Blah.

Jameil said...

yep. but that's part of celebrity. its unfortunate, but that's the life he's chosen and encouraged. the alleged suicide attempt is much more sensationalistic b/c he's thrust himself so forcefully into the limelight. his "publicist" sigh. if you were actually a publicist, WHY would you put your client out there like that. i know you were fearing for his life and all, but its your JOB to think first.

Anonymous said...

I dont think he tried to kill himself. That does not fit the T.O profile. But it is plausible. But his story is also plausible too. We just will never know the truth.

Adei von K said...

he's crying and been crying for help. men commit suicide. they use more aggressive measures (guns and bldgs) than women who ATTEMPT suicide more often thru the use of more passive techniques i.e. razors and pills. yes he wants attn and yes he's been getting it. yes he's a troubled man with a troubled past who is CRYING! What does a black person have to do to get help???? damn! what if he was 'successful' with his attempt? too little, too late.

Anonymous said...

I work in the behavioral health care field (call center)but have been fortunate enough not to have anyone in my circle of contacts have the experience directly or indirectly (that I can think of). However, everyone I know, including me has to struggle with the negative energy and some cope better than others. Just listening and learning from you guys. Anonymous Detroit.

onefromphilly said...
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onefromphilly said...

I don't really believe he tried to kill himself, but this could be a cry out for help.

I'm with Nikki, I have always thought that TO is a very unhappy brother. And money can not fix that! Somebody ought to tell his publicist that.

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