Shaquille O’Neal’s latest connection to law enforcement has sparked an unexpected public dispute with NFL Hall of Famer Terrell Owens.
After O’Neal received an honorary FBI Special Agent designation, Owens publicly urged the basketball legend to return the ceremonial badge, arguing that accepting it from FBI Director Kash Patel came at the wrong time.
O’Neal received the honor on September 17 during the FBI National Academy’s Session 299 graduation ceremony in Quantico, Virginia. Patel praised him as a major supporter of law enforcement.
O’Neal then addressed the graduating officers and joked that they should “arrest” Charles Barkley, continuing his long-running playful rivalry with his former Inside the NBA colleague.
“Some of you will go back to your regular jobs, some of you will go to specialized training,” said Shaq.
“Some of you will go do what I do, be undercover. Well, I was undercover… But I just wanna say I appreciate you guys so much. Congratulations. I am not here for this; I am here for you. … And if you see Charles Barkley, arrest him.”
The recognition wasn’t an appointment as a working FBI agent. O’Neal didn’t complete the academy’s law-enforcement training curriculum, meaning the designation was ceremonial rather than a professional FBI position.
Speaking on the Get To the Point Podcast, Owens said he believed O’Neal could’ve accepted similar recognition at another point. He also criticized O’Neal’s response to a social-media critic who had protested the honor by discarding an old Orlando Magic jersey.
“There’s timing to everything. There’s a time and a place for everything,” Owens said.
Why the FBI honor became controversial
The debate intensified because Patel had appeared before the Senate Judiciary Committee just two days before the ceremony.
During the September 15 oversight hearing, lawmakers questioned the FBI director about personnel decisions and changes to hiring standards.
Democratic senators raised concerns about revisions involving conduct that had previously resulted in automatic disqualification for some applicants, while Republican Chairman Chuck Grassley offered a different assessment of Patel’s record and the Bureau’s recent performance.
The political circumstances surrounding Patel made O’Neal’s decision particularly sensitive for Owens. He argued that the basketball star should’ve considered how accepting the badge could be perceived, especially amid broader disagreements over the FBI and federal law enforcement.
The controversy also grew after content creator Matthew Chappelle, known online as “OG Matt,” posted a video showing himself throwing away an old Shaq jersey because of the honor.
O’Neal responded privately with a comment about Chappelle’s financial circumstances. Owens later said that response unnecessarily escalated the situation and was another reason he felt compelled to speak publicly.
“Shaq, you’re wrong in this one, big guy, big fella, you’re wrong,” Owens said.
O’Neal, however, has a law-enforcement history stretching back decades. He trained through the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Reserve Academy, became a reserve officer with the Los Angeles Port Police, later served as a Miami Beach reserve officer and held another reserve position in Doral, Florida. He was also sworn in as a sheriff’s deputy in Georgia.
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