Dez Bryant lugged his own pads off the field at the Alamodome on Monday, snubbing the waiting media and bypassing autograph seeking fans for the first time since camp began on Saturday. In all likelihood, he did so in order to dodge questions of his refusal to carry Roy Williams’s pads.
The move will not likely make the story any less overblown. That is, it would probably have been easier for Bryant to just carry the pads--which weigh less than five pounds--from the field to the locker room--not exactly a death march.
Ah, but perhaps it’s a matter of principle for Bryant. Admittedly, the whole story, for all its vague and debatable implications, is kind of odd. According to Williams, though, the man who was snubbed in the first place, it’s not much of a story at all. Williams said as much trotting off the field on Monday, and although he admitted that the story was a big one for media types, he disagrees with the idea that the incident has caused a rift between he and Bryant.
"Not a big thing," Williams said, per the Dallas Morning News. "A big story but not big for us ... It's Dez Vs. Roy, that's the big story, that's the big deal. And that's not how it should be."
Williams went on to joke about the matter, saying that he may have his revenge at a team meal, when rookies are traditionally charged with footing the bill.
"If he wants to concentrate on football, we’re going to let him concentrate on football," Williams said. "But, when we go out to eat, I’m going to be a little bit more hungry and a little bit more thirsty... I might take my ten family members out to eat when we go out to eat.
"We’re going to find a way."
