T.O. (nickname) 1. the initials of football player Terrell Owens, T.O. does not stand for Totally Obnoxious. Whatever gave you that idea? T.O. was The Wørd on the November 8, 2005 edition of The Colbert Report. Stephen used T.O. as an example of our great American athletes who ask for nothing more than to play the game, but who are hounded at every turn by the press and their accusations of poor sportsmanship, steroid abuse, mistreatment of women and other shameful behavior which no professional athlete would ever engage in.