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Dallas Cowboy wide receiver Terrell Owens, who's widely perceived as an arrogant, egotistical "me-first" kind of guy, has written a children's book.
About sharing.
In a case of "Do as I say, not as I did," BenBella Books is pitching the book as the first in a series of five about what tykes can learn from the mistakes of the colorful, and often controversial, superstar.
Due out next month, the illustrated, 24-page, hardcover book, called "Little T Learns to Share," is about a young boy who gets a shiny new football and refuses to share it with his friends - only to discover it's no fun to play football by yourself.
With some guidance from his mother, he admits he was wrong, telling his friends:
"You were right about my ball, I wasn't being fair.
"But now I've learned my lesson and would really like to share."
Although Owens came up with the concept for the series, the writing is being done by a former University of Tennessee classmate, Courtney Parker, a celebrity ghostwriter and novelist.
She said the idea grew out of a conversation they had shortly after Owens' controversial clashes with his Philadelphia Eagle teammates and bosses led to his release.
Owens acknowledges there were many times that he wished he had shared better.
"I look back over situations and circumstances in my life and wished I could've done things differently," he admitted in a Q&A released by his publisher.
The father of two - 7-year-old son Terrique and 2-year-old daughter Caley - said he wants his books "to convey a message to children that it's never too late to learn how to get it right - whatever it is."
"I'm still learning," he said.
The next books in the series - called the T.O. Timeouts Series - will be "Little T Learns What Not to Say" and "Little T Learns To Say I'm Sorry."
marsha.kranes@nypost.com
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