Falcons cornerback Christopher Owens at a recent players-only practice in Buford.

Falcons cornerback Christopher Owens denies ransacking an apartment that he was paying for his former girl friend and son to live in and any acts of violence, according to court documents filed with the Superior Court of Gwinnett County on Thursday.

He contends that the spurned former girlfriend is seeking “revenge”  because he does not want to be in a relationship, that she threatened to never let him see his son again and had plans to ruin his reputation by contacting TMZ.com and other media outlets.

Owens and Latia Terry, 22, of Lawrenceville, have a 9-month-old child together.

“He’s been a good Dad,” said Randall M. Kessler, Owens’ attorney, on Friday. “He plans to keep being a good dad. He denies all of the claims.”

According to a Gwinnett County police incident report, Terry told officers that she left her apartment at 11 p.m. on Sunday, and when she returned home late …

00908 Flowery Branch; Former Atlanta Falcons center Jeff Van Note, left, and current Falcons center Todd McClure, right, are shown after Falcons practice at Falcons training camp Wednesday afternoon in Flowery Branch, Ga., Sept. 8, 2010. McClure is the current Falcons center who will break the team record for consecutive starts Sunday when Atlanta opens at Pittsburgh. Jeff Van Note is the Falcons Ring of Honor center who started 225 games. Jason Getz jgetz@ajc.com

In part because of the team’s losing history, some of the longtime Falcons have had trouble getting their proper respect.

Just when it looked like defensive end Claude Humphrey was going to make it into the Pro Football Hall of Fame through the Seniors’ committee, he was voted down.

If you talk to some of the oldtimers, they’ll tell you that several old Falcons deserve better spots in the history of the game. Tommy Nobis, Jeff Van Note, Mike Kenn, George Kunz, Steve Bartkowski and Jessie Tuggle are just a …

BIRDLAND – Back in May of 2008, Matt Ryan signed a six-year, $72 million contract that included $34.75 million in guarantees with the Falcons.

Because Ryan’s set to receive a major bonus when the lockout is settled, he’s No. 8 on Sports Illustrated list of the top 50 highest-earning American athletes.

The bulk of guaranteed money in Ryan’s six-year, $72 million contract he signed in 2008 should be paid out this year, when he’ll earn a $22 million roster bonus on top of his $10.25 million salary.

The magazine projects that Ryan also will make  $450,000 in endorsements which would bring his total salary to $32.7 million for 2011.

Golfer Tiger Woods ($62.9 million) is at the top of the list followed by golfer Phil Mickelson ($61.1), NBA star LeBron James ($44.5), Indianapolis quarterback Peyton Manning ($38.07), New York Yankees star Alex Rodriquez ($36), Los Angeles Lakers star Kobe Bryant ($34.8) and Boston Celtics star Kevin Garnett ($32.8).

Ryan has led the Falcons to …

101024 Atlanta - ONE HANDED CATCH - Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Roddy White makes a one handed catch against Cincinnati Bengals cornerback Adam Jones for a 1st down during 2nd quarter action at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta on Sunday, Oct. 24 , 2010. Curtis Compton ccompton@ajc.com

BIRDLAND –  Falcons wide receiver Roddy White will be featured on this Sunday’s episode of “The Top 100: Players of 2011” at 8 p.m. on the NFL Network.

White finished ranked between 30-21 and will be presented by Falcons head coach Mike Smith.

Also, White will appear live in-studio on the show  and on NFL Total Access on Monday. White will be joined by Jacksonville running back Maurice Jones-Drew on each show.

White, who led the league with 115 catches last season, is the final of five Falcons on the list.

The other Falcons making the list were defensive end John Abraham (69), quarterback Matt Ryan (52), tight end Tony Gonzalez (46) and running back Michael Turner (42).

White, …

Oakland Raiders safety Stuart Schweigert (30) and cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha (21) look emotional after the San Diego Chargers scored in the fourth quarter of their NFL football game, Monday, Sept. 11, 2006 in Oakland, Calif. The Chargers defeated the Raiders 27-0. (AP Photo/Paul Sakuma)

BIRDLAND – I was rolling the batmobile down I-20 on Thursday, on the way back to the bat cave with NFL SiriusXM radio blasting from the speakers.