Allow me to get a bit out of my comfort zone and jump into a rather popular NFL topic today – rookie Dez Bryant and his refusal to carry veteran Dallas Cowboys receiver Roy Williams pads (no maxi).
If we’re all being honest, it’s not 100 percent surprising that there would be a “controversy” (albeit minor and manufactured) surrounding Bryant. He was labeled a “character issues” guy coming out of college and fair or not, those labels usually follow guys around their whole career. As our own HG pointed out in a recent post, some like Randy Moss can overcome the negative hype and produce hall of fame careers, while others prefer to sit back and sip on some sizzurp.
Since the news of his refusal to take part in the worldwide sports tradition of rookie hazing, Bryant has tried to backtrack a bit and said Williams was just joking.
For his part, Williams didn’t sound like he was ready to just let it all go. He’s in danger of losing his starting wide-receiver job to Bryant and I’m sure watching Bryant be the star of the Cowboys training camp didn’t sit well with him, so he might take it as a bigger sign of disrespect than us regular folks.
And it’s warranted, because it’s ridiculous for Bryant to refuse to follow the unwritten rules of sports hierarchy, especially with the terrible excuse he used.
Oakland Athletics Pitcher Brad Ziegler Dressed as Raggedy Anne for MLB Rookie Hazing.
(Photo from SI Vault/AP)
“I’m not doing it,” Bryant said. “I feel like I was drafted to play football, not carry another player’s pads. If I was a free agent, it would still be the same thing. I just feel like I’m here to play football. I’m here to try to help win a championship, not carry someone’s pads. I’m saying that out of no disrespect to [anyone].”
Adding the caveat at the end about no disrespect doesn’t make it okay. Hey Dez, you’re being a big baby diva by thinking you’re above longstanding NFL rites of passage. I’m saying that out of no disrespect to you though.
See? It doesn’t work.
And that whole “I’m here to play football so I won’t do [insert random topic here]” is played out too. There’s a ton of things players have to do as part of their job besides their on-the-field activities. Might as well refuse to do sideline interviews or team promotional stuff since he’s only around to play football.
Rookie hazing these days is largely symbolic and seen as a way for the new guys to earn the respect of the veterans. Poking your chest out and saying you’re too good for it doesn’t seem like a great way to impress guys who’ve been able to do it before you. Plus, Bryant’s lucky he just has to carry pads, ask other guys who get taped to goal posts, sport horrible hair cuts or carry around Dora The Explorer dolls how it feels.
The worst part of it all is that Bryant is a talented guy and he had done everything right up until this whole little fiasco. While the rookie hazing is usually seen as a harmless set of pranks and humiliation necessary to be another one of the guys, it seems like Bryant might ironically need it more than anyone else, especially given the foolish pride he’s shown.
- Will.
The Sports Snob will be published once a week here on YouBeenBlinded.com. Will R. is a journalist/writer who covers sports, news and music for several websites. His music work can be found on www.WestCoastRydaz.com
