The Legend of Dez Bryant and the Most Expensive Team Dinner in History

Plankton

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https://www.si.com/eats/2018/06/13/cowboys-legend-dez-bryant-rookie-restaurant-bill

Just two days into his first training camp with the Cowboys in 2010, Dez Bryant made an enemy of another brash receiver, Roy Williams. After practice, Williams tried having the rookie Bryant carry his pads to the locker room—and Bryant refused. For years, veterans have had rookies carry their pads. It’s seen as an unwritten rule, an innocent hazing ritual, a small sign of respect. “I’m not doing it,” Bryant told reporters at the time. “I feel like I was drafted to play football, not carry another player’s pads.”

Williams, a seventh-year veteran, was not amused. He remembered back to when he was a rookie with the Lions in 2004, back when he had to buy sandwiches and donuts for the airplane, and all those times he almost missed the team flight because he had to stop at so many different restaurants to fulfill every player’s specific request. He remembered all those practices when he had to lug around the vets’ pads, too. “I was drafted number seven [overall]—I still had to do it,” Williams says now. “Larry Fitzgerald had to do it, and he was number three! It’s just an unwritten rule, man. You just had to do certain things. I always looked ahead and said, ‘When the next crop of guys come in, I’ll get to enjoy the donuts.’ ”

It didn't help that Bryant and Williams were both competing for a starting spot. Williams had been largely a disappointment in Dallas ever since the Cowboys traded for him two years earlier, and Bryant, the Cowboys’ first-round pick that year, had already emerged as a fan favorite in camp. He was making the big plays that fans had been expecting from Williams.

image

Rookie Dez Bryant and veteran Roy Williams at a padless practice, June 2010.

Even so, Williams says he pulled Bryant aside and tried to resolve Pads-gate peacefully, behind closed doors. “I tried explaining to the young man: ‘Hey, this is the easy part, everybody has to do it.’ ‘I’m not going to do that. Blah, blah, blah.’ O.K., no problem.”

When Williams spoke with reporters at the time, he said there was no issue between him and Bryant. “We talked about it. [Dez] wants to concentrate on football. We’re going to let him concentrate on football,” Williams said, according to ESPN. “But, when we go out to eat, I’m going to be a little bit more hungry, and a little bit more thirsty.”
 

QT

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Without reading the entire article..... PAPPA's Bros
 

CowboyRoy

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https://www.si.com/eats/2018/06/13/cowboys-legend-dez-bryant-rookie-restaurant-bill

Just two days into his first training camp with the Cowboys in 2010, Dez Bryant made an enemy of another brash receiver, Roy Williams. After practice, Williams tried having the rookie Bryant carry his pads to the locker room—and Bryant refused. For years, veterans have had rookies carry their pads. It’s seen as an unwritten rule, an innocent hazing ritual, a small sign of respect. “I’m not doing it,” Bryant told reporters at the time. “I feel like I was drafted to play football, not carry another player’s pads.”

Williams, a seventh-year veteran, was not amused. He remembered back to when he was a rookie with the Lions in 2004, back when he had to buy sandwiches and donuts for the airplane, and all those times he almost missed the team flight because he had to stop at so many different restaurants to fulfill every player’s specific request. He remembered all those practices when he had to lug around the vets’ pads, too. “I was drafted number seven [overall]—I still had to do it,” Williams says now. “Larry Fitzgerald had to do it, and he was number three! It’s just an unwritten rule, man. You just had to do certain things. I always looked ahead and said, ‘When the next crop of guys come in, I’ll get to enjoy the donuts.’ ”

It didn't help that Bryant and Williams were both competing for a starting spot. Williams had been largely a disappointment in Dallas ever since the Cowboys traded for him two years earlier, and Bryant, the Cowboys’ first-round pick that year, had already emerged as a fan favorite in camp. He was making the big plays that fans had been expecting from Williams.

image

Rookie Dez Bryant and veteran Roy Williams at a padless practice, June 2010.

Even so, Williams says he pulled Bryant aside and tried to resolve Pads-gate peacefully, behind closed doors. “I tried explaining to the young man: ‘Hey, this is the easy part, everybody has to do it.’ ‘I’m not going to do that. Blah, blah, blah.’ O.K., no problem.”

When Williams spoke with reporters at the time, he said there was no issue between him and Bryant. “We talked about it. [Dez] wants to concentrate on football. We’re going to let him concentrate on football,” Williams said, according to ESPN. “But, when we go out to eat, I’m going to be a little bit more hungry, and a little bit more thirsty.”

Dez the head case showing up with the antics as soon as he got there. Its always been about Dez for Dez.
 

jazzcat22

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Waiting for the Dez distractors to chime in for another reason to continue to rag on him....:popcorn:
 

MarionBarberThe4th

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Dez the head case showing up with the antics as soon as he got there. Its always been about Dez for Dez.
I like understanding people’s motivations. Maybe he’s insecure bc he’s been fighting the odds his whole life. Or he was picked on and it stresses him to be lightly teased. It hasn’t been ideal on the field to have him get so easily instigated. But I don’t see it as evil either. The guy is pretty low key usually. And he also gets called an attention ***** by people choosing to follow his twitter account lol
 

CowboyRoy

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I like understanding people’s motivations. Maybe he’s insecure bc he’s been fighting the odds his whole life. Or he was picked on and it stresses him to be lightly teased. It hasn’t been ideal on the field to have him get so easily instigated. But I don’t see it as evil either. The guy is pretty low key usually. And he also gets called an attention ***** by people choosing to follow his twitter account lol

I dont see Dez as low key. He has been always an immature guy and he probably has authority issues. And Im not saying that what Williams did was a good idea. If that was the first thing he did to Dez, then he is a moron and a bad leader.

But part of coming onto a team and being a team player is respecting the veterans and earning your respect with them. Taking your lumps like everyone else does.
 

Idgit

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That's a cool story. And some decent background that I don't remember being available at the time. $54K for a dinner with vets chipping in ~$13k and Jerry possibly picking up the tab in the background is one thing. But the sort of dysfunction that was going on in that WR room for it to get to that in the first place...pretty unhealthy.

I don't blame Williams for being bent about Dez not carrying the pads. That's bad form on Dez' part. And it sounds like Roy tried to handle that part of it the right way, at least. But getting even at the rookie dinner was pretty childish.

You can kind of see why that 2010 season went to crap, though.
 

glimmerman

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That's a cool story. And some decent background that I don't remember being available at the time. $54K for a dinner with vets chipping in ~$13k and Jerry possibly picking up the tab in the background is one thing. But the sort of dysfunction that was going on in that WR room for it to get to that in the first place...pretty unhealthy.

I don't blame Williams for being bent about Dez not carrying the pads. That's bad form on Dez' part. And it sounds like Roy tried to handle that part of it the right way, at least. But getting even at the rookie dinner was pretty childish.

You can kind of see why that 2010 season went to crap, though.
The dinner thing is all apart of it also. Dez didn’t carry the pads and that’s why no one wants to sign him now. Lol. Seriously I can remember tuna being our HC making someone go get his water. It’s part of rookie hazing. And it teaches them there place as rookies. Your a star in college but now it’s time to earn it again.
 

jazzcat22

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Believe the word you’re searching for is “detractors”, maybe?
:thumbup:

Yes, thanks, I typed a bit too quick, and did not looked at what I typed. Usually I look over and correct or try to correct any mistakes, spelling and / or grammar.
Though I never been great in English though I had very good grades, but still as to when to use..whom or who or well or good and things like that, I lack a bit. I did however get A's in spelling. Sometimes though I see my mistakes, but just don't want to take the time to correct them. LOL.
 

Idgit

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The dinner thing is all apart of it also. Dez didn’t carry the pads and that’s why no one wants to sign him now. Lol. Seriously I can remember tuna being our HC making someone go get his water. It’s part of rookie hazing. And it teaches them there place as rookies. Your a star in college but now it’s time to earn it again.

First round pick always had to get Bill's water. Lol.
 

ufcrules1

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That's a cool story. And some decent background that I don't remember being available at the time. $54K for a dinner with vets chipping in ~$13k and Jerry possibly picking up the tab in the background is one thing. But the sort of dysfunction that was going on in that WR room for it to get to that in the first place...pretty unhealthy.

I don't blame Williams for being bent about Dez not carrying the pads. That's bad form on Dez' part. And it sounds like Roy tried to handle that part of it the right way, at least. But getting even at the rookie dinner was pretty childish.

You can kind of see why that 2010 season went to crap, though.

Screw Roy Williams.. he never did jack squat here.. I'm glad Dez never carried his pads.
 

GenoT

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Yes, thanks, I typed a bit too quick, and did not looked at what I typed. Usually I look over and correct or try to correct any mistakes, spelling and / or grammar.
Though I never been great in English though I had very good grades, but still as to when to use..whom or who or well or good and things like that, I lack a bit. I did however get A's in spelling. Sometimes though I see my mistakes, but just don't want to take the time to correct them. LOL.

I hear ya, jc!

While appreciating autocorrect, I find myself having to correct it more often than not when it goes into auto-fill mode.
 

Silver Surfer

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Dez Dez Dez
They stab him with their steely knives but they just can't kill the Beast:facepalm:

"You can check out anytime, but you can never leave.....

Welcome to the only Cowboys forum.... such a lovely place... with some lovely faces....
we're livin' it up on the only Cowboys forum.... what a nice surprise.... bring your alibis..."
 

Idgit

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Screw Roy Williams.. he never did jack squat here.. I'm glad Dez never carried his pads.

It's not really about that. It's about respect for the way things are done when you come into a new organization. Tough to build a team when there's active disrespect towards veteran players over something as small as entry-level rookie hazing.

If Dez had carried the pads and balked at footing the bill for the big dinner tab, that'd be a different story. But if Dez didn't respect RW, he just needed to out play him and push him off the roster. Which is what happened, anyway.
 

dwreck27

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It's not really about that. It's about respect for the way things are done when you come into a new organization. Tough to build a team when there's active disrespect towards veteran players over something as small as entry-level rookie hazing.

If Dez had carried the pads and balked at footing the bill for the big dinner tab, that'd be a different story. But if Dez didn't respect RW, he just needed to out play him and push him off the roster. Which is what happened, anyway.
This. Anyone spinning this about "oh RW sucked im glad Dez never sunk to the level of carrying that bums pads!!"

Everyone does it... Its a rookie gag to serve up some humble pie especially back then when rookie deals were getting fatter than 5+ year vets!
 

Seven

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Screw Roy Williams.. he never did jack squat here.. I'm glad Dez never carried his pads.

....................Except fumble the ball on what could have been the game winning TD. On Thanksgiving, no less.
 
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