Dez Bryant admitted that he got mad at a reporter Thursday, though according to him he had good cause. The Cowboys wide receiver alleged that ESPN Dallas columnist Jean-Jacques Taylor used a racial slur to refer to Cowboys players. Cowboys beat writer Mike Leslie estimates that Bryant went off on Taylor, and other reporters, for roughly 15 minutes.
Dez Bryant goes off on reporter he alleges uttered a racial slur
Dez Bryant was once again upset with how he has been portrayed by the media.
Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports
Bryant tweeted his version of what took place.
This why I got mad pic.twitter.com/uSlbUKH3VA
— Dez Bryant (@DezBryant) November 12, 2015 Taylor has yet to directly respond. He sent one tweet since the incident took place to respond to a critic.
But u follow me #hypocrite https://t.co/4158Vjuw39
— Jean-Jacques Taylor (@JJT_ESPNDallas) November 12, 2015 However, Landry Locker, who also works for ESPN Dallas, said that Taylor denied using the slur:
JJT says Devin Street falsely accused him of calling him the n-word and Dez, who was already fired up, then escalated his tirade even more.
— Landry Locker (@LandryLocker) November 12, 2015 Leslie laid out what happened in more detail. It's unclear what the two were talking about, but Bryant reportedly got heated while speaking with Taylor. Fellow wideout Devin Street came to Dez's side at one point, which escalated things according to Leslie. Other Cowboys players were less perturbed.
Several of the #Cowboys players found the entire ordeal hilarious, one even joking "I wish I could snapchat this".
— Mike Leslie (@MikeLeslieWFAA) November 12, 2015 After other reporters, including Sports Illustrated’s Robert Klemko, started tweeting about Bryant’s outburst, Bryant directed his rant at them.
In a video from the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Jason Witten’s interview with the media was interrupted by Bryant shouting in the background. Bryant can be heard yelling “Don’t single me out like that” and “If you’re going to report something, report it right”:
He then shouted at Cowboys spokesman Rich Dalrymple, telling him “how about you fix this, Rich”:
Dez Bryant tirade in #Cowboys locker room pic.twitter.com/Xv6jhbut2B
— Edward Egros (@EdwardEgrosFox4) November 12, 2015 Bryant was clearly upset Thursday by how he had been portrayed.
If you going to tell something tell the whole thing...I'm done with the situation... I hope everyone is having a great day
— Dez Bryant (@DezBryant) November 12, 2015 Despite saying that was the end of it, Bryant did release another statement, again via Twitter:
Now I guess I’m the bad person??? The media comes in our locker room with no restrictions...I guess they can say whatever and it’s cool...let me remind all of you...WE ARE HUMANS AS WELL..WITH FAMILES..we have to live with a lot of false talk about us.... I chose to stand up for me and what I represent..... I’m so sorry if a lot of you can’t handle being talked to direct.
Bryant hasn't had the best relationship with media during his NFL career, and perhaps for good reason. After the Cowboys' loss to the Seahawks in Week 8, he yelled at reporters to "Stay the f*** away" after some suggested during the game that he was talking trash after Seahawks receiver Ricardo Lockette was injured in a scary collision.
Bryant hasn't had a great season on the field, either. A broken foot in Week 1 kept him out until the Seahawks game. He had just 12 yards receiving against Seattle, but bounced back with 104 yards and a touchdown on five receptions this past weekend against the Philadelphia Eagles.
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