Terrell Owens Believes He Was 'Prematurely Let Go' by Cowboys

Seventeen months and two teams removed from his time with the Cowboys, Terrell Owens still believes he got a raw deal when Dallas cut him in March 2009.

"Do I think I should probably be there? Yeah," Owens said prior to leading his new team, Cincinnati, into the 2010 Hall of Fame game against Dallas. "It was short-lived. I was prematurely let go. Things like that happen."

Owens' Cowboys days ended unceremoniously when the team released him after a 2008 season filled with rumors of Owens squabbling with quarterback Tony Romo and offensive coordinator Jason Garrett. Owens signed with Buffalo prior to the 2009 season, then spent the year trying to remake his image on a downtrodden Bills team.

More: T.O. Makes Cincinnati Debut

"There's no turning back or going back or redoing anything," Owens said. "Again, I still stand by the things that I said and what was done. I know that honestly it wasn't my fault."

Owens hit the open market again this offseason, after Buffalo decided not to offer him another contract. He signed with Cincinnati two weeks ago, his second consecutive one-year contract, meaning he could find himself looking for yet another home next summer.

"I feel confident about myself and what I can still do on the football field, even at the age of 36," Owens said.

Owens hauled in two catches for 18 yards in his Cincinnati debut Sunday night, his first game against Dallas since the team released him.

"I still have some great friends there," Owens said. "I think everybody is aware of what happened down there. I think a lot of people know that there were some unfortunate things that happened there."

-- Information from the Associated Press was used in this report.