Bryant throws punches at CB in practice, ends day with a hug
Dez Bryant said on Friday his new five-year, $70 million contract extension would not change the way he plays. On Sunday, he took steps to prove that point, with authority.
And a left jab.
Late in Sunday’s practice in Oxnard, Calif., the Cowboys All-Pro receiver got into a brief scuffle on the field with second-year cornerback Tyler Patmon, the two ex-Oklahoma State Cowboys doing some extra shoving following a play.
You can see some of that video in this tweet posted by the Dallas Morning News’ Jon Machota:
Dez and Patmon get into it on the far side. They're still jawing pic.twitter.com/YKcx1i8NmS
— Jon Machota (@jonmachota) August 3, 2015
Afterward on the sideline, they continued to jaw at one another until, according to NFL.com, Bryant threw his mouthpiece at Patmon, followed by a left hand.
NFL.com has video of the thrown punch here.
According to the DMN, Patmon began the fracas by knocking Bryant’s helmet off during the play above. But, Brandon George reported, Bryant became the aggressor, all the way to the punch-throwing:
Among those breaking up the fight with Romo were head coach Jason Garrett, running back Joseph Randle and defensive end Jeremy Mincey. The incident was, according to multiple reports, met by boos from fans in attendance. But it was also followed by the two combatants hugging it out.
Afterward, Bryant reportedly had nothing but praise for Patmon, telling reporters:
Patmon told reporters, "We're family. It's intense out here, it's training camp. It's part of it. ... We love each other."
To wit Bryant replied, "No doubt [we still love each other] ... You go to war with a guy like that any day of the week."
NFL.com quoted Mincey as saying:
"Dez can be a hothead sometimes, but it's good. It's good to have passion and play the game that way. "
Cowboys tight end Jason Witten defended Bryant and reportedly ripped the media after, as George put it, "Bryant was swarmed by a horde of media as he came off the field."
"You guys are acting like a bunch of kids at a circus trying to get him," Witten said. "I mean, it’s football. It’s going to happen in training camp. Guys compete. Guys go at it. It’s part of it."
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, who had already left the practice field, wasn't bothered by the display. He said he caught footage of it on television and said, "Man, you'd have thought it was CNN featuring some big event going on.
"That's training camp. That's not new. That's been happening at our training camp for years and years and years."
Jones also noted that it was just the second padded practice in front of a second straight bigger weekend crowd. The Cowboys drew 3,727 Sunday after the first padded workout Saturday brought in 5,802 fans.
"The kind of atmosphere that we've worked to put together, and that atmosphere breeds that kind passion, it breeds that kind of excitement," Jones said. "Sure enough, here comes some after-the-whistle action."
Bryant reaffirmed after practice that he did not think much of the incident, retweeting multiple posts that the two players are over it, then retweeting a post about media coverage before finally replying to a tweet about the hate he receives.
And to think, there are still six more weeks until the Cowboys’ season opener.
-- The Associated Press contributed to this report
Media coverage is something else all you see is @DezBryant fights at camp but don't see the coverage on them squashing it with a hug
— Kyle Jarvis (@jarvy0486) August 3, 2015
I don't know....lol RT @FreshETP: why they hate u so much? @dezbryant
— Dez Bryant (@DezBryant) August 3, 2015
