Cowboys wide receiver Dez Bryant spoke to reporters Thursday for the first time in more than a month, so for the first time he addressed the recent Rolling Stone article on his life.
The article -- “Dez Bryant: The Survivor” -- was published Aug. 27 and traced Bryant’s life, from growing up poor to his struggles through high school and transition to the spotlight and pressure associated with the NFL.
“A lot of the guys (on the Cowboys) already knew a lot of stuff that I’ve dealt with, what I’ve been through and a lot of guys always have love for me and they always will,” Bryant said. “Real recognize real and that’s what it’s been.
“I just spoke real about my life.”
Among the revelations in the article: Bryant’s mother sold crack; he was largely raised by his brother, who was also his uncle; he often slept on the floor of a tiny duplex where more than a dozen people sometimes lived, and he relied on neighbors to feed him.
“Crackheads in my house, potato chips and peanut butter for dinner — my life was s--t all the way to college,” Bryant said in the article.
It also dove deeply into his complicated relationship with David Wells, a Dallas businessman who has a longstanding relationship with the Cowboys. Bryant lived with Wells after leaving college and early in his Cowboys career. Now, Bryant believes Wells stole money from him.
“I really don’t care about the reaction (to the article),” Bryant said Thursday. “Everything has been positive. I ain’t asking for no apologies or none of that. You can’t judge a book by its cover, you know? There’s a reason if you see someone being certain ways, there’s probably a reason for the actions and I think that’s where my passion comes from. I direct it in something that I love, and that’s football. I think that’s what got me where I’m at today, so I let a lot of that frustration and anger and put it in a positive way as far as something I love and that’s the game of football.”
Of his new $70 million contract and his insistence his passion for football won’t change after signing it, Bryant said “of course I’m happy. But I’m not satisfied. I’m not saying that I’m not satisfied with what I got. I think it just makes me want to go harder, become a better player. I always feel like I never have it. I think that’s another reason why I do the things that I do because I always feel like you can always be better. I always want to be a better player. As soon as you feel like you have it ... good luck.”
