Angela Bryant used to drive eight hours from Lufkin, Texas, to Stillwater, Okla., to watch her son Dez Bryant’s games when he was a standout wide receiver at Oklahoma State University. She once took an 18-hour bus ride to see Dez play his first college game in Georgia.
Now that Dez is a top NFL prospect, what does his loving mother get in return? Well, for one, she gets the privelege of being gay-bashed by Dez with the help of The Dallas Morning News. In this column published last week, DMN columnist Jean-Jacques Taylor repeatedly states that Dez Bryant had to overcome his mother’s decision to “change” her sexual orientation.
According to Cyd Ziegler Jr. at Outsports.com, the original version of Taylor’s column used the term “sexual preference,” until Ziegler contacted The DMN and got them to replace it with “sexual orientation.” Of course, the column still uses the word “change,” so what’s the difference? Ziegler said he found it “shocking” that the sports staff at a major daily newspaper wouldn’t know better than to use “sexual preference,” but for those of us who read The DMN regularly, this isn’t at all surprising. Anyhow, back to Dez Bryant, who had this to say about his mom being a lesbian:
“I didn’t like it. Really, I still don’t,” he said. “I dealt with it and now I’m comfortable with it.”
First of all, who gives a shit what a football prospect thinks about something like this? It’s totally irrelevant, and sadly it appears as though The DMN and Dez are trying to use Angela’s sexual orientation as an excuse for his problems (Dez Bryant was once suspended in college for lying to NCAA officials).
Who knows, maybe Bryant was worried that Angela’s sexual orientation would hurt his draft prospects, and he felt the need to solidify his anti-gay credentials. Maybe it paid off when the Cowboys selected Bryant with the 25th overall pick in the draft two days later.
It’s a shame, though, because it’s actually a great story. Angela gave birth to Dez when she was only 15, and she later served time in jail for selling crack cocaine. But Dez, who has no relationship with his father, has managed to overcome his tumultuous childhood to succeed on the field, and in the process he’s managed to mend his relationship with his mom. It’s a great story that The New York Times actually did two years ago, and it’s a shame that Dez and The DMN had to go and ruin it.
Since it’s hereditary, don’t be surprised it Dez is discovered in flagrante delicto on day.
“if” and “one”
What’s wrong with my keyboard?
The Dez Bryant selection makes me nervous. Pretty much boom or bust. Overall, Dallas is not the place for somebody who needs a stable backround to succeed.