Dez Bryant - What Is Wrong With You?

It seems that, over the past month or so, there is a new legal issue surrounding Dez Bryant every week. He has been banned from a mall for not picking up his pants. He has debts of over $850,000 from unpaid loans, jewelry and sports tickets paid on credit, and unpaid rent. That does not even include the legal fees that he is incurring through all this.

To be fair, it is not just Bryant. It seems as though whenever a football player, more than any other sport, has free time, he finds a way to get himself into trouble. Is this because, even in the offseason, they are under a regimented schedule, so the concept of free time is beyond rational thought? Is it the people they spend their time around? This case could be made for Michael Vick and his dogfighting ring, or with Aqib Talib and the charges that he and his mother are up for.

Bryant needs help. He needs someone to grab him and make him understand that he needs to grow up. His previous mentor, Deion Sanders, has given up on him, calling his actions 'ignorant' and stating that 'he needs help'. Interestingly enough, Sanders claims that he has been telling the Cowboys for months that Bryant needs help, based off of issues stemming from his childhood. Then why have the Cowboys not done anything in regards to Bryant's behavior? Why hasn't the NFL, and their stick 'conduct policy', not done anything to reprimand Bryant? Yes, there is the lockout where teams cannot have contact with their players, but one would expect a statement in regards to the situations or something akin to that.

Overall, Bryant's actions are not nearly as bad as those of Leonard Little or Donte Stallworth. No one has died due to anything he has done. He has not harmed anyone directly. However, there is still a pattern of childish and irresponsible behavior that gives a reason to pause. Continued actions like these may cause Bryant to never reach his potential, and may cause long term ramifications for both himself and the Cowboys.

Hopefully, this is a wake up call for Bryant. Yet, it seems more likely that he will ignore the warnings, and continue to exist as the privileged individual he believes himself to be.