Dez Bryant found himself at the center of a massive practice brawl earlier this week between the Dallas Cowboys and St. Louis Rams. Does that mean Bryant started the fight? At least one local beat writer seems to think he was responsible.
In his Friday column, David Moore of The Dallas Morning News wondered out loud if the “passion” Bryant has been lauded for is becoming an issue.
You’ve heard it all before. You’ll read it here later as head coach Jason Garrett and executive vice president Stephen Jones address Bryant’s actions during the team’s two days of practice against the Rams.
Here’s what they don’t say. Passion doesn’t give a person the right to act or lash out whenever he or she wants. An impulsive display of passion often results in reckless or irresponsible behavior.
Moore didn’t come out and say that Bryant was responsible for the brawl, but he certainly implied it. That might seem a little ridiculous considering how many players were involved. When Dez caught word of what Moore had written, he called him out on Twitter. Deadspin captured the tweet before Bryant quickly deleted it.
You can’t blame Bryant for being irritated. If Moore saw something specific that leads him to believe Bryant started the brawl with the Rams, he should say what it was. Otherwise, it seems like a stretch to blame Dez even if he did take a brutal punch to the face. The Pro Bowl receiver implied after the fight that he was the victim of a cheap shot.
There have been times where it looked like Bryant was blowing up on teammates and audio later proved that he was being positive and providing encouragement. There are worse problems to have than a player who is incredibly animated about wanting to work hard and succeed.
