Last Wednesday, there wasn’t a television set, Web site, chat room or radio station that people didn’t tune in to for the breaking news about the talented, brash, erratic and outspoken Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Terrell Owens’ “attempted suicide.”

Wait, I mean, “accidental overdose.”

Maybe people’s hearts went out to T.O., regardless of their personal views of him. Whether it was indeed a suicide attempt or an accidental overdose, it seems there were some underlying problems with the receiver before this incident: warning signs we should look for in case some of our friends at NIU show signs of depression or suicidal thoughts.

“[Former] 49ers head coach and executive Bill Walsh tried to convince Owens, who played for the team from 1996-2003, to seek professional psychiatric treatment during the 2000 season,” The San Francisco Chronicle reported on Sept. 27.

Kim Etheredge, Owens’ publicist and the woman who called 911 for Owens, said to officers, according to the preliminary narrative report, that Owens was “depressed.”

As most know, Terrell Owens was traded to the Philadelphia Eagles after his falling out with the 49ers. He also had a much publicized feud with Eagles’ quarterback Donovan McNabb and the Eagles’ organization over a contract dispute, and divided the locker room in only his second season with the Eagles. The organization suspended the receiver for the remainder of the season last year and released him during the off-season. Within four days, Owens, 32, was signed by the Cowboys to a three-year, $25 million contract.

With $25 million, why would anyone be depressed, right? Sadly, that’s as silly a question as, “You’re in college, and you’ve got your whole life ahead of you. Why would you be depressed?” Clearly, things aren’t always what they seem, no matter how pretty the picture.

“Overall, African-American male adolescents from age 15 to 24 have shown the greatest increase in suicide completion rates in the 1990s relative to other races and ethnicities,” the National Association of School Psychologists’ Web site says. Behaviors such as “verbal suicide threats, expressions of hopelessness and helplessness, suicide attempts, daring or risk-taking behavior, personality changes, depression, giving away prized possessions and a lack of interest in future plans” are symptoms or warning signs of someone considering suicide, according to the National Mental Health Association’s Web site.

“More years of life are lost to suicide than to any other single cause except heart disease and cancer,” the NMHA’s site says. The NMHA also says 30,000 Americans commit suicide and 500,000 Americans attempt suicide annually. Suicide affects not only the ones wishing to end their lives, but the loved ones who lose a family member, lover or friend. If you know anyone who has considered suicide, NMHA recommends you should be an attentive listener, avoid being judgmental but ask questions, get professional help for the person (regardless if the person resists), don’t leave the person alone, don’t act shocked and don’t counsel the person yourself.

Owens may have never intended to harm himself, but his actions before this incident show that he could have a mental illness, and with his rough childhood, who could blame him? Regardless of whether it’s T.O. or a fellow student, situations like these should not be taken lightly. Kim Etheredge did the right thing that night, even if she now feels she overreacted.

Joey Baskerville is an opinion columnist for the Northern Star.