ez Bryant is one of the most talented players in the entire NFL. He’s not only a burner but he also possesses the ability to go-up-and-get-it. Paired with his taste for victory, he’s turning into an elite receiver, one that demands a defense to scheme for.
As fans, we tend to disparage the players that smile after defeat, or those that don’t care enough to give it their all. So, why is it that Bryant is receiving criticism for his antics after the Dallas Cowboys let yet another game slip out of their hands?
The race card is not the reason, I want to shove that aside and let it be known that his skin color doesn’t play any factor into the backlash, nor should it ever.
Bryant’s checkered past is the reason, a kid who grew up in a troubled home, a kid that became comfortable with turmoil. His mother conceived him at the age of 14 and during his childhood she served 18-months for selling crack cocaine.
As Bryant grew older his troubles seemed to follow. He was suspended while at Oklahoma State for the remaining 10 games in his junior season for a dinner with Deion Sanders. When asked about the dinner, Bryant refuted and the NCAA smacked a season-long suspension on the talented wide receiver.
The transition to the NFL didn’t change his behavior and trouble was yet again lurking in the wake. He was booted from a mall for his sagging pants, reports stated he owed hundreds of thousands of dollars in debt to jewelers and then there was an incident in 2012 in which he assaulted his mother. Charges were later dropped for the incident with his Mother.
Here we are, it’s 2013 and the run-ins with the law have ceased and Bryant’s athletic ability is taking the front page, not his legal woes.
Through his first eight games the Texas native has caught 45 passes while racking up more than 600 yards and eight touchdowns. He’s eighth overall in receiving yards, second in touchdowns and tied for seventh in receptions.
Courtesy: Yahoo Sports
Despite his success, his on-field antics have caught on like wildfire after video showed an excited Bryant on the sidelines after the Detroit Lions made an unthinkable comeback last weekend against Bryant and the Cowboys.
While his antics were over the top for some, it was neither unusual nor rare. Peyton Manning was involved in a similar situation with former teammate Jeff Saturday but that incident was viewed as competitive fire taking over. Tom Brady and current Penn State coach Tom O’ Brien lashed verbal barbs at one another and the reports again tabbed it as competitive juices boiling over.
Now Bryant, who was seen “lashing” at Tony Romo and receiving a “talk” from Jason Witten and DeMarcus Ware, finds himself with the media target honed in on his no. 88. But why is this recent demonstration being singled out?
The testosterone on an NFL sideline cannot be duplicated, grown men competing with one another while 50,000 plus fans yell for you or at you. The conversations are rarely in calm nature, even when positive, players do not softly say good job, they head-butt one another or do the ole Brett Favre and deliver a painfully open-hand slap to the backside of a teammate.
The first clip shows Bryant flailing his arms, directing his excitement towards Romo, who was sitting on the bench with an assistant and with head coach Jason Garrett standing in front of him. Initially it looks as if Bryant is doing his best Terrell Owens, but after a closer look Bryant is telling his quarterback, “if they press me it’s over.”
For those who aren’t familiar with football talk, that statement simply means, “if they play me one-on-one, he cannot stop me.” Bryant sharing helpful intel with his quarterback is not in any means unusual nor prima donna-like actions.
A handful of minutes later, Bryant was shown yelling on the sidelines and Cowboys captain Witten yelling back and pointing to the clock, indicating that there is still time left. Bryant was displeased with the fact the Cowboys again squandered a lead late in the fourth quarter because of terrible clock management and a lack of execution.
It’s unfair that this action is overshadowing a terrific performance from Bryant who tallied three catches for 72 yards and two touchdowns. But, the media tends to pick their targets wisely. Already labeled a “problem,” the media knew that the masses would accept their report despite how frequent it is for a player to get emotional during a game and the fact that his actions were out of anger, not selfishness.
Pittsburgh Steelers safety Ryan Clark is a veteran presence and one of the more respected players in the NFL. He came to the defense of Bryant and added the following sentiments:
“I’ve seen Tom Brady cuss and scream and do all kind of things but nobody looks at him like that,” the Steelers safety said Wednesday via ESPN.COM. “I just think it’s unfair the way we see it and the way the media portrays certain things because of personal feelings about a person.”
This is a public service announcement: the media has the tendency, more like a knack, of taking an incident and spinning their web to shape the meaning to their favor.
At the end of the day, the billions of fans should appreciate the Bryant’s across the world. We should revel athletes such as Bryant that care about the outcome. We are very quick to point the finger at the athletes that only care about their bank account and little about the fans and success of the organization.
When the lights are bright and the pressure is on, every fan should want their team comprised of 52 players like Dez Bryant.
