Rookie Mistake? Dez Bryant Refuses to Carry Roy Williams’ Pads
The Dallas Cowboys first-round draft pick wide receiver (WR) Dez Bryant has looked very impressive on the field at training camp, but according to veterans around the team, he made a big mistake.
There’s this certain hazing of rookies that goes around in sports, in the NFL in particular. There are certain extra tasks a rookie must do in order to “pay their dues” or as a part of their “initiation."
This weekend, when veteran WR Roy Williams tried to make the talented rookie Bryant carry his pads after practice, Bryant refused, saying Williams and other veterans can carry their own shoulder pads.
When Bryant refused to perform the rookie task, Williams threatened to go to "step two" when talking to reporters.
"I'm not doing it," Bryant said. "I feel like I was drafted to play football, not carry another player's pads."
Of course, it’s tough for rookies to do all these extra things, and it certainly sparks the debate of whether they should just suck it up and continue the tradition, or if it’s just wrong and demeaning to rookies. Certainly, there are two sides to this.
"If I was a free agent, it would still be the same thing. I just feel like I'm here to play football. I'm here to try to help win a championship, not carry someone's pads. I'm saying that out of no disrespect to [anyone]."
Some hazing from Cowboys past legends included Coach Bill Parcells, who used to make first-round picks bring him water during breaks in practice. The Cowboys' rookie offensive linemen are also given awful haircuts by the veterans at some point during each training camp.
"Everybody has to go through it," Williams said. "I had to go through it. No matter if you're a No. 1 pick or the 7,000th pick, you've still got to do something when you're a rookie. I carried pads. I paid for dinners. I paid for lunches. I did everything I was supposed to do, because I didn't want to be that guy."
So now the question is, what scheme will Williams come up with to teach the hotshot rookie Bryant a lesson?
"We'll find out. Definitely going to find out," Williams said. "I don't know. I've seen guys take people's credit cards and go fill up their cards and their wife's cards and everything. There's a lot of dirt that goes on in that locker room."
Bryant, a Texas native, who went to Oklahoma State, is quickly emerging as a fan-favorite to Cowboys fans. Crowds applaud when they see him make routine catches, and he runs a lap around the field, high-fiving fans.
Williams, also a Texas native and University of Texas product, has not been nearly as popular in Dallas. Ever since being traded from the Detroit Lions in 2008, his production has been disappointing and he has received much criticism. So far at training camp, he’s been booed whenever he drops a pass. Other receivers were not booed when dropping a pass, including Pro Bowler Miles Austin. Probably because with his production as a Cowboy, he’s earned the right to drop some passes.
Many feel that Bryant should just go along with the hazing as many think he will soon beat out Williams as a starter, but Williams isn’t ready to give up his spot.
"I bought a Ford F-250 2011. Everybody loves a new car but I also have a 2004 Navigator that's still running," Williams said. "So that's the way I feel."
Previously, there has been no friction between the two players as the receivers are competing for starting jobs heading into the 2010 season.
Williams believes that as a veteran, it’s his responsibility to mentor rookies and it’s a rookie’s job to carry pads for veterans.
"I don't believe in that at all," Bryant said. "We have a goal here. It's not about playing games. It's all about just trying to do the right thing and achieve our goal."
All we can say is, it’s between them and if the Cowboys are successful this season, this will all be forgotten once the players hit the field.
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