Why the disrespect then? Why does Bryant get some snarky label as "the player"?
Dez has been a problem child since day one. This team put more effort in trying to manage him and baby sit him than any other team in the league would have.
They dealt with all of the off field issues. The jewelry store, the Walmart video, the mom incident, the house incident. Even after all that they still stuck with him and gave him a huge contract
And his play has been in a steady decline since. The sideline tirades were more common. Missed meetings. Missed therapy. Missing who knows what else.
Then, when the team needs him against Seattle, after he demands the ball, he fumbles it and then promptly goes to the bench and quits. Then, after the year was over he admitted that he was distracted.
And that's only what we know about. And I'm sure I left off some things.
And what does he do, hours after being cut? Starts calling out the captains of this team.
He's a punk kid that feels entitled simply because he has some athletic talent.
Calling him "the player" is even more than he deserves.