Dallas Cowboys' wide receiver Dez Bryant just can't seem to keep his nose clean. Warren Moon mentioned earlier in the month that Oklahoma State Cowboys' wide receiver Justin Blackmon was similar to Bryant except "not a knucklehead."
At the time, I thought about the comments and figured Moon was basing his opinion on what he heard in the press plus all the problems Bryant brought with him from his off-field problems. However, Bryant can't keep making mistakes if he wants to become the next Michael Irvin. Right now, he is more in line to be the next Pacman Jones.
Sunday night, Jan. 15, Bryant was hanging out at a popular Miami Beach nightclub when he got into an altercation with members of a yet unknown popular rap stars entourage. The altercation got so out of hand that the police had to separate them and detain Bryant.
No arrests were made and no charges were filed, but if there is one thing NFL commissioner Roger Goodell has proven over time, it is that he doesn't care if police believed a law was broken or not. He has suspended people for similar incidents with no charges filed in the situations. All that Goodell cares about is a pattern of bad behavior.
Bryant came into the NFL amidst a giant scandal, where he was pretty much banned from college football for alleged violations surrounding Deion Sanders and a professional agent. In 2011, Bryant made a scene at a local shopping mall when police were called after he refused to leave the property due to a dress code violation. He also parked in a fire lane at the time and refused to move his vehicle.
Since then, he has been sued by two jewelers that claim he owes them $800,000 and recently another lawsuit was filed against the receiver as well.
"We've obviously sat down with him on numerous occasions to give any advice we can," Cowboys' Executive vice president/COO Stephen Jones said after the most recent lawsuit. "Hopefully he'll be able to correct those things so it doesn't affect what he can accomplish on the field. If you don't clean those things up, they tend to affect your career. He understands that."
Bryant may not have been responsible for the recent altercation, but the fact he is allowing himself to be involved in these risky situations, adds to the questions surrounding his character and long term commitment to the Cowboys. Bryant has got to grow up if he ever wants to be a star.
Author Shawn S. Lealos has a bachelor's degree in journalism from the University of Oklahoma (2000) and has been a Dallas Cowboys' fan since he was a child. His favorite players range from Roger Staubach and Tony Dorsett to the Triplets of the 90s and he enjoys talking about all Cowboys' related news, good or bad
