Tweet
In a sign of solidarity, Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Dez Bryant was joined by his mother, Angela Bryant, at a brief news conference on Tuesday to stress that while there may have been an incident last week, no family violence occurred.
Neither Bryant nor his mother took questions regarding the Class A misdemeanor charge filed by DeSoto police. Instead, a statement was released and read aloud by their attorney, Texas state senator Royce Wst.
"Did a family disagreement occur? Yes," West said in the statement. "Did Dez Bryant commit family violence against his mother? No."
As West spoke, the Bryants shook their heads in agreement when he talked about the family needing to undergo counseling.
"They are here together today to show they do love and support each other," the statement said. "Just as much as they did before the incident a week ago. But like all families, the Bryants have disagreements."
Dez Bryant has yet to meet with league or team officials regarding the incident of last week. The NFL is looking into the matter, as are the Cowboys. Bryant, who finished second on the team in receiving yards (928) and touchdowns (nine), is subject to a fine or suspension by the league.
"I would love to make a statement, but I can't," Bryant said while leaving the news conference.
A Dallas County district attorney's spokeswoman said the case filed by DeSoto Police against Bryant includes an affidavit of non-prosecution from the complainant. The affidavit means the complaint doesn't want to proceed.
Yet, the district attorney's office is still reviewing the case and hasn't determined if it will press charges against Dez Bryant.
"They ask that there not be a rush to judgement concerning their family," West said in reading the statement. "They also ask for your continued prayers and support for their family as they work through this matter."
Police issued an arrest warrant for Bryant last week after a July 14 incident in which he allegedly hit his mother in the face with a baseball cap. The police affidavit said Bryant grabbed his mother by her T-shirt, causing her bra to tear.
According to the DeSoto Police Department, Bryant is charged with a Class A misdemeanor for assaulting a female family member and was released a few hours later without talking with police.
Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo offered his support for Bryant prior to the news conference.
"I think it's an example of me not thinking of anything other than knowing I'm here for my teammate," Romo said. "More than anything else, that was what it was about. Dez knows that I care about him. Dez knows that I care about his family. Dez knows that I'm here for him when he needs me. I know he's the same way. I think our football team is a close-knit team. That's the way this team has kind of been built in a lot of ways. It's exciting just to see that because it's not always been the case.
"I think Dez and everybody does things they wish they could have back in life and do things different sometimes. But that was a situation and he will learn from it and he'll do steps in the future to make sure that doesn't happen again. I know he feels bad and he's a kid who's growing and learning to become a man. He really is a good kid."
According to the incident report, Bryant became angry when his mother asked him to leave her home during an argument with his stepbrother.
On the 911 call, Angela Bryant said this was not the first time she had been assaulted by her son.
"I can't keep letting him do this," Angela Bryant said on the 911 call. "I can't keep letting him do me like this. I'm tired. I'm going to put an end to it today. I'm going to put an end to it today. I'm tired."
Source: AP