Throughout his college and professional career, Dez Bryant has been referred to by pretty much anyone who has seen him play as immensely gifted and talented. At Oklahoma State University, Bryant was often times unstoppable and was a star in the making. Now in his third year in the NFL, Bryant is being counted on by the Dallas Cowboys to be a centerpiece of their offense for years to come. There is no doubt that Bryant has the ability to be a star wide receiver, but off-field issues have become a growing concern.
Bryant was born in Texas in 1988, and his mother was arrested for selling drugs when he was only eight years old. During his four years in high school, he lived in eight different homes. Now being born into a dysfunctional family is obviously not his fault, but the environment around him as he grew up was obviously not an ideal one to raise a child in. If it were not for football, who knows where he would be right now. In college, he was able to showcase his on-field talents in front of the entire country, and he quickly became a star prospect who was destined for great success in the NFL.
However, off-field issues still cropped up from time to time in college, and although nothing too serious occurred, his problems became bigger after he entered the NFL. Bryant was sued in 2011 for over $800,000 in jewelry that he supposedly took without payment. Then, only about a month and a half ago, Bryant faced domestic violence charges for allegedly attacking his mother. Although those charges were eventually dropped, it certainly did not help his image, and it continued to add to the list of off-field issues that he seemed unable to avoid.
Only a few days ago, reports arose about a list of "guidelines" that the Dallas Cowboys had constructed for Bryant. These were not routes to run or plays to learn like most guidelines any wide receiver is faced with, these instead had nothing to do with football, and pertained to Bryant's personal life off the field.
There are obviously unwritten rules for athletes that are expected to be followed without question. What these guidelines that the Cowboys have placed upon Bryant show is that the Cowboys believe he is unable to control himself off the field. Some of these rules that Bryant must reportedly follow is a midnight curfew, a prohibition from attending strip clubs, mandatory counseling sessions twice each week, and a rotating security team that must accompany Bryant at all times. There have been conflicting reports about how these rules were constructed, who the party was that initiated their implementation, and how all parties involved feel about their existence.
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones originally said that he had no knowledge of any kind of behavioral controls for Bryant, but he seemed to backtrack in recent days, and multiple parties have now claimed that Bryant himself initiated the effectuation of the set of guidelines. Details about the entire situation are still murky, but Bryant is scheduled to address the entire situation later this week. Until then, we can only speculate as to why these rules were implemented, and who initiated their implementation.
One thing we can be sure of though, is the fact that the Cowboys are even acknowledging this is because they know that Bryant will play a huge role in their success on the field. If he were a fringe player struggling to make the team, there is no way that his off-field issues would be overlooked. He would be cut immediately. However, because Bryant is so young and talented, he is getting chances that only a select few people would get. The Cowboys can claim that they are simply trying to help a young man with personal issues, but the fact of the matter is that they are simply protecting their investment. It may not be fair, but it is the 100% truth. The Dallas Cowboys, like every other professional sports franchise, is a business organization. It is one of the most popular and heralded businesses in the entire country. In order for the Cowboys to continue to prosper, they need to put the best product on the field that they are able to, and Dez Bryant will play a large part in doing so for the foreseeable future.
Whether it be in the world of sports, the world of entertainment, the world of business, or any other moneymaking enterprise, it cannot be denied that those with the most talent are also given the most leeway. Josh Hamilton was given a second chance by the Texas Rangers despite a long history of drug and alcohol addiction because of his talent. Martha Stewart was convicted of crimes that would normally bring about severe punishment. Hip-hop musician DMX has been convicted of multiple crimes, but has faced minimal punishments compared to what an unknown citizen might receive for the same crimes. However, because these particular examples have talents that are unique, they have been judged based upon a different standard than most people would be.
Even though the Cowboys are the team I dislike the most in all of sports, I still hope that Dez Bryant can conquer his off-field problems, because he could be in line for a new contract that will grant him more money than he ever could have imagined when he saw his mother plead guilty to a crime when he was only eight years old. However, what this situation also shows us is that talented athletes receive special treatment that most of us would never receive. It may not be fair, it may not be just, but it is the truth. The NFL is the most popular sport in the country, and because of that, Dez
Daily Giants Update: The final preseason game will be tomorrow night against the Patriots. I do not expect to see many starters for any extended period of time, but the game will be very important in determining who survives the final roster cuts, and we may see some players who will be called upon to step in and fill critical roles throughout the regular season.
Daily Diamondbacks Update: A loss last night against the first place Reds was disappointing, but at least it wasn't against the last place San Diego Padres. Tyler Skaggs was pretty good in his second career start, and we have almost reached the point that looking toward 2013 will be the main focus of the year, although until we are mathematically eliminated, I refuse to give up hope. Wade Miley (who at this point should be the NL Rookie of the Year but probably has no shot to win because he plays on the west coast and the voters have no interest in games played on the west coast) goes tonight against Johnny Cueto. All we can do is hope for the best. Let's Go Diamondbacks!
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