DALLAS — Terrell Owens has all sorts of reasons to “love me some me” these days.
His Dallas Cowboys are 3-0.
He released a new fitness book Tuesday.
And he’s worked his way back into the graces of corporate America.
T.O. has been picked as the front man for Venom Energy drink, a recently launched product from the Dr Pepper Snapple Group. His official designation is “Chief Mayhem Officer,” which shows he still has a bad-boy persona — but not so bad that it’s costing him national endorsements.
“I think everything has a sense of timing,” Owens told The Associated Press on Tuesday. “For whatever reason, a lot of people look at me now and they’ve seen the transitions I’ve made. It’s all about being in a comfort level and doing the right things.”
Owens has never been in trouble with the law. Still, he’s done enough things in locker rooms and playing fields to cast himself as a villain.
There were public wars-of-words with quarterbacks Jeff Garcia in San Francisco and Donovan McNabb in Philadelphia, stomping on the Dallas Cowboys’ star logo when he played for the 49ers and a bitter divorce with the Eagles that at one point had him doing sit-ups in his driveway after being kicked out of team headquarters.
Two years ago this week, Owens hit his lowest point, an accidental overdose that landed him in a hospital overnight. Add in some other incidents that season and companies didn’t want to be associated with him, no matter how many touchdowns he scored.
Since the 2006 season, T.O. has made mostly good headlines. Or, at least, they’ve been pretty innocuous, like a questionable penalty for celebrating a touchdown in the opener and seemingly pouting during a two-catch, 17-yard performance Sunday night. Dallas still won and teammates and coaches praised him for a tackle after an interception and a downfield block.
“Whether you like him or not, he is the poster child for disrupting things,” said Randy Gier, chief marketing officer of Dr Pepper Snapple Group. “We thought it was a good fit. If other people don’t, that’s their problem.”
There’s even a bit of the T.O. paradox in this drink deal.
See, in his new book, “T.O.’s Finding Fitness,” Owens has a section called, “My Beverage of Choice.” It’s all about water.
“Do yourself a favor: don’t drink your calories,” he writes. “Raise a toast to a refreshing beverage that makes the most sense.”
On Tuesday, he said he makes room in his refrigerator for Venom because one of its two flavors is the low-carb Mojave Rattler.
“It’s something that’ll keep you up and keep you going, and it’s not harmful to the body,” Owens said, adding that he shared it with teammates during training camp.
Their bottles are easy to spot: red or purple metallic cans with resealable tops and a snake-eye logo. Through March 2009, a portion of sales will benefit Owens’ charity, the Catch a Dream foundation.
Dr Pepper Snapple is based in the Dallas area and is a big sponsor of the Cowboys. Gier said the Owens connection had nothing to do with those relationships.
“This is about his invincibility, the way he plays, the energy he brings, the no-prisoners attitude,” Gier said. “We’re not selling baby food. This ain’t Kool-Aid. This thing is Venom.”
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