I’m not sure that Ronda Rousey should be getting nervous, but we know already that the fat contract hasn’t done anything to dull Dez Bryant’s fighting spirit.
In pads for only the second time since last January’s playoff loss in Green Bay, the Cowboys’ receiver got into a physical altercation with cornerback Tyler Patmon over the weekend in Oxnard. Somewhere Michael Irvin is smiling.
Because it was the Hall of Famer who would routinely set a tone at ‘90s’ training camps and wake up his teammates with a fight. Or two. I’m not saying Bryant intentionally picked a fight, but the skirmish will do nothing but good for his role as a team leader.
On the final play of team drills Bryant and Patmon yanked their helmets off with the cornerback throwing the first punch. No one hurt. No hard feelings.
Welcome back, football.
Said Bryant of the incident: “At the end of the day he wasn't going to back down and I wasn't going to back down and you seen us: We shook hands, we hugged and we respect one another.”
Again, not saying it was fabricated. But it was clear that Bryant was the instigator who wanted “something” to happen at practice. He continued to block Patmon well after plays and at one point threw his mouth piece at the cornerback.
We’ve seen this unbridled – on the verge of uncontrolled – passion and anger from Bryant before. It’s comforting to know that part of him didn’t disappear as his bank account ballooned.
A native Texan who was born in Duncanville and graduated from UT-Arlington, Richie Whitt has been a mainstay in the Metroplex media since 1986. He’s held prominent roles on all media platforms including newspaper (Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Dallas Observer), radio (105.3 The Fan) and TV (co-host on TXA 21 and numerous guest appearances, including NBC 5). He lives in McKinney with his wife, Sybil, and two very spoiled dogs.
