Terrell Owens is now saying he was acting in self-defense when he squared up with a man in a CVS parking lot, telling the Associated Press that the other person “made offensive gestures and threatening statements.”
The altercation took place Saturday night in Inglewood, California, and was caught on camera and eventually sent to TMZ.
The male was allegedly harassing customers inside the store prior to the altercation with the former wide receiver.
“The aggressor continued threatening the fan just as he did in the store,” Owens said. “Once again, attempting to diffuse the ongoing situation, I placed myself between the fan and the aggressor. I made verbal demands asking the aggressor to stop his threatening behavior.”
Owens told the AP that the man “swung at me first,” and he “felt obligated to prevent the aggressor from becoming more violent.”
Owens has stayed in incredible shape since his retirement, so it wasn’t a shock that he easily took the man down. The video begins with each man in the process of throwing hands, with Owens eventually dropping his opponent with a hard right. The other man could be seen getting up several seconds later, but no more punches would be thrown after he got dropped.
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“Like anyone else, I was making a stop at CVS and was blindsided by all of this,” Owens said. “Unfortunately, I had to act using self-defense to end a threat towards myself and the fan. I will attempt to make positive from this negative experience.”
TMZ stated Owens left in his own car and police were not called.
The 48-year-old former wide receiver played 15 NFL seasons, earning five first-team All-Pro selections, and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2018.
