IRVING, Texas -- The Cowboys have seen a wide receiver act disruptive on the sideline. They insist that Dez Bryant doesn’t fit that description.
Nobody denies that Bryant tends to become emotional. He certainly did during Sunday night’s loss, when he tossed a helmet and had several animated conversations, some of which seemed to be with nobody in particular.
But the two men who clashed most with Terrell Owens firmly stated that they have no issues with Bryant.
“Dez is a very passionate guy,” head coach Jason Garrett said. “We like guys who are passionate about playing football. There’s no question about that. Any emotion that guys have on our football team seems to me to be really positive, trying to do what they can to help contribute to us winning. Dez is a guy who loves playing football.”
Garrett pointed out that other players, such as perennial Pro Bowl tight end Jason Witten, also get animated occasionally on the sideline. Like Garrett, quarterback Tony Romo emphasized that Bryant isn’t lashing out at anybody.
“Dez is great,” Romo said. “His emotion, there is never a negative emotion that comes from it. It’s just positive consistently. He’s just a kid who loves playing the game. He’s passionate. But there is never any malice or anything negative involved.
“Cameras can catch whatever they want, he is never mean to another person or anything like that. He just wants to win and he’s excited about being out there playing. We’re lucky to have him.”
Of course, the Cowboys never publicly acknowledged that T.O.’s sideline outbursts were an issue, either. Then again, Bryant has never come close to publicly calling out his quarterback or play-caller.