Before the Dallas Cowboys agreed to a long-term contract extension with Dez Bryant, there were reports that the team did not believe the 26-year-old receiver when he said he was willing to miss regular season games. Why? Because Bryant may have been having some money issues.
In a lengthy piece that explains how Bryant ended up with a five-year, $70 million contract, Jason Cole of Bleacher Report references some immature off-field behavior that has resulted in Bryant missing out on endorsement money. In fact, Cole cites sources who say Dez was in “financial distress” before signing the new deal.
For starters, Bryant reportedly missed a Jordan Brand event he was supposed to attend in Mexico after signing with Michael Jordan’s company in 2013. That event was designed specifically for Bryant, and he supposedly missed two others at the Super Bowl and NBA All-Star Game. And that’s not all.
Beyond the snafus with Jordan Brand (see video above), Bryant has either failed to show up or failed to live up to responsibilities involving three other companies. One of those included a Super Bowl ad shoot in January for Pizza Hut, a Plano, Texas-based company. Bryant was on the way when he canceled at the last minute. Pizza Hut then called quarterback Tony Romo, who took the six-figure deal on short notice. Two sources said Bryant lost anywhere between $400,000 and $1 million in off-field endorsement money.
Aside from his deal with Nike through Jordan Brand, Bryant currently has no other endorsement deals. That’s stunning for a player of his caliber on a team with the profile the Cowboys possess.
Four sources have indicated that prior to signing his new contract, Bryant was in financial distress.
Cole previously reported that the Cowboys wanted protection in Bryant’s contract in case Dez got into trouble again off the field like he did in this 2012 incident involving his mother. Jerry Jones has indicated that there is no special language in the contract, but Cole says the team is still worried about people Bryant has living with him. The All-Pro also reportedly has “no sense of time management” and shows up late to team meetings and other obligations.
If the Cowboys were as concerned as Cole says they are, they probably would have forced Bryant to play under the franchise tender — especially if they didn’t believe he would miss games for financial reasons. We know there was some video that was supposed to be leaked that would make Bryant look worse than Ray Rice, but nothing ever came of it. The Cowboys obviously did plenty of homework and still signed Dez. How bad can it be?
