Pro Football Hall of Famer Terrell Owens was caught on camera punching a man in the parking lot of CVS Pharmacy. Owens, who played 15 seasons in the NFL, said he was trying to defuse the situation after a man started threatening him and his fans.
The incident occurred around 11:30 p.m. Saturday in Inglewood, Calif. TMZ obtained the video and reported that a 49ers fan approached Owens inside the store and had a friendly conversation. Another man reportedly showed up and caused trouble. They all went outside, and a witness told TMZ that the invaders threatened to beat the man while Owens was playing Peacemaker.
Owens told the Associated Press that the man “made offensive gestures and threatening remarks” towards him and a fan.
“Invaders continued to intimidate fans in the same way they did at the store,” Owens, a six-time Pro Bowler, told The Associated Press. I placed myself between the fan and the perpetrator, and verbally demanded the perpetrator to stop his threatening behavior.”
The man finally landed a blow on Owens, making him feel he had a duty to prevent his attacker from becoming more violent. After he got up, the fight did not continue. Authorities were not called to the scene, so Owens got into his car and left.
“Like everyone else, I was quitting CVS, and all of this caught me off guard,” says Owens. “Unfortunately, I had to act using self-defense to end the threat to myself and my fans. I will try to move forward from this negative experience.”