Cowboys WR Dez Bryant blasts media in locker-room tirade aimed at reporters
Cowboys wide receiver Dez Bryant shouted at several members of the Dallas media in the locker room on Thursday.
Bryant tweeted about the confrontation later, saying:
Take it however you want pic.twitter.com/kfjf5pIw6H
— Dez Bryant (@DezBryant) November 12, 2015
Reporters on the scene tweeted about what went down in the locker room:
According to reports, Bryant initially was angry over this story by ESPN's Jean-Jacques Taylor — and he'd apparently been that way for days, waiting for Taylor to return to the locker room.
Bryant confronted Taylor and after teammate Devin Street stepped in, Street said Taylor called him the N-word.
Taylor, who also is black, denied it as did other reporters who were there.
Bryant's second tirade, in which he implored the reporters to "report it right," apparently was provoked by MMQB's Robert Klemko tweeting that Bryant "blew up" on Taylor.
Bryant confronted Klemko in the middle of Jason Witten's weekly session with the media, and the 13th-year tight end worked to calm the situation and help get Bryant out of the locker room, as did coach Jason Garrett.
Bryant called all the reporters in the locker room "dirty" several times before he was led out.
The Cowboys have lost six straight games, and part of Bryant's outburst was about the media "disrespecting this team."
Some players seemed to find the matter laughable:
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
Bryant suffered a foot injury in Week 1 against the New York Giants and was forced to sit out five games. He has 12 catches for 164 yards and one touchdown in the time he’s been on the field this year. In his first game back in Week 8, he was embroiled in a controversy involving Seattle Seahawks receiver Ricardo Lockette, saying the media was trying paint him in a poor light by reporting he taunted Lockette after the rookie was injured.
Bryant also bumped heads with teammate Greg Hardy on the sideline in the Cowboys’ loss to the Giants on Oct. 25.
With Tony Romo out as well, the Cowboys' slide to 2-6 has put the team under the microscope. But one take make be the most sobering of all for this year’s Dallas team.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
