Written by Rebecca Mills, Shippensburg, PA
Dez Bryant’s name has been coming out of a lot of people’s mouths, mostly due to the “catch” incident, which has already attracted a lot of debate from Cowboys and non-Cowboys fans alike–even other NFL players, like Sam Shields and Odell Beckham Jr.
Courtesy: thebiglead.com
His name has also been linked to various scandals, such as an alleged video of him doing something unspeakable; or with the fact that he dropped his management to go to Jay-Z’s Management Company, Roc Nation; or how he got the franchise tag slapped on him when he didn’t really want it.
One thing that no one really asks is how this affects Bryant, The Jones Family, and Cowboys’ fans.
Well, Bryant made it clear before free agency that Dallas was his home and he didn’t want to leave, even though that’s exactly what happened. Dez doesn’t have to leave Dallas (for another year at least), but he’s still not acting as if he’s part of the team. He claims that he won’t practice during the off-season, but he continues to talk about how he understands what’s happening. It’s “business” to reply to a fan’s tweet about how he’s dedicated to the Cowboys. If Dez doesn’t want to participate and be part of the Cowboys, why would he want to stay to begin with? If Bryant really cared about the Cowboys–and really wanted to repeat his 16 touchdowns (most receiving touchdowns in 2014…ahem)–maybe he should start acting like he’s actually excited to stay in Dallas or at least attempt to stay.
The Jones Family, on the other hand, was clearly on Dez’s team–from the beginning–from the way they made trades to get him to slapping the Franchise Tag on him. Although Dez clearly wasn’t happy about the tag, Stephen and Jerry weren’t exactly thrilled about it either. One thing that continues to puzzle is the decision to pick up someone like Greg Hardy.
Clearly, Hardy isn’t the best person in the NFL. He’s close to the rankings of Ray Rice on the domestic violence front. Although the Jones’s decision to pick him up could work in Dez’s favor, the supposed tape (with incriminating evidence about Bryant) is nothing compared to Hardy’s past.
Another puzzling thing is that there hasn’t been much talk about Dez’s long-time contract in Dallas, while Hardy has already gotten a contract with them. With Murray gone, Bryant seems to be the one with the most potential. He’s the one with the most touchdowns in the NFL last season, but that still hasn’t given the Jones’ the push that they need to work up a contract with him. One has to wonder what’s taking so long on a matter that should seem common sense. If the Jones’ really don’t care about someone’s criminal background, then signing Bryant should be a breeze.
Cowboys’ fans have dealt with a lot in the past few months and weeks. First, because of “the ‘catch’ that wasn’t a catch,” to losing Murray to a division rival, to signing Hardy (in spite of his chilling past and with the draft coming up)…who knows what will happen with that? Even after Jerry picked Martin over Manziel, which turned out to the best move on his part, it’s scary to see what’s going to happen next for the Cowboys and their fans.
Courtesy: blacksportsonline.com
One thing is for sure: if the Jones’ don’t decide to do something about getting a long-term contract for Bryant, it’ll end up exactly like it did with Murray. Bryant won’t hesitate to go to another team, a team that will pay him for what he’s good at. Then the Cowboys will be back to the “sophomore slump.”
