Same Old Song- Just Another Verse

Seems that we sit down once again, open up the newspaper or turn on the Television, and the lead story seems to be once again DEZ BRYANT!

My goodness—for this young man—the hits just keep on coming!

One day it’s about Dez and his friends being asked to leave NorthPark Mall in North Dallas, because of their apparel, the sagging pants and looking “gangsta”… the next minute there is a lawsuit brought by a jeweler, then another, then one more on top of that from a landlord in Stillwater, Oklahoma for pass due rent!

AND THIS IS JUST MARCH!

I have seen Dez out in public, working with kids and being surrounded by the fans, he seems to be kind and takes time to talk and sign autographs, however, this other behavior, the kind that makes headlines and such is not good for his image or for that of the team in which he plays for.

The question is, HOW DO YOU FIX THIS?

The answer, is not so easy! It’s about changing the direction of your decisions, and the paths in which you choose to go down.

I use the example of a player on the team, that signed a six year contract for multiple millions of dollars back in 2007, and you never hear about him in the news, or for that matter on the field of play, yet he has earned Pro-Bowl status 5 years in a row, and is an All Pro as well.

Why do we not hear about him? Mainly because he was well grounded, had a great up bringing, and knows what it is to be in the public and for that matter he doesn’t draw attention to himself when he is in public. I’ve actually heard him tell someone who approached him, if he was a football player, his response was “no… I dance ballet”… now really? Seriously, that is great!

He doesn’t say it to get rid of them—he says it so they grin or laugh and then he proceeds to let them off the hook—sign the autograph or take the photo—shake their hands and goes on his way. The only thing that he request is, don’t interrupt his dinner or his evening out with friends or family! That’s his time to spend with them, and not the stadium or personal appearance. Fair enough don’t you think?

Dez Bryant should, and Jerry should also make this mandatory, to sit with Calvin Hill, that’s why he is employed by the Cowboys in the first place, to show these young kids who have come from an income that is nowhere near what they have become a part of in a short amount of time.  Unless their parents were athletes, which if they were, they weren’t making this kind of cash when they played, they have no idea how to handle that kind of wealth. NOT everyone has this problem, not everyone goes into a mode of throwing themselves into an arena where they are constantly being hit by people that have come out of the wood work to claim to be a family member or long lost friend from way back when.

What some people don’t know about Calvin Hill, is that he is an IVY Leaguer, a graduate of Yale University, was a first round draft pick of the Dallas Cowboys in 1969, and was the first Cowboy to rush for over 1000 yards. Though his degree is in business and finance, he understands what it takes to be successful on and off the field. Mr. Bryant—I highly suggest you talk to Mr. Hill and learn from one of the very best! Just look at his son, Grant Hill, he hasn’t done too bad for himself either.

Not to shift gears, but while we are on the subject of changing—there was a story that is out about the Fiesta Bowl in Arizona, that they might lose their BCS seating, and that because of the investigation that is underway about misguided funds by the CEO, and that there are some real discrepancies, a real possibility is that the BCS might bring the AT&T Cotton Bowl into the fold as a BCS Championship Bowl.

This would be huge for the Classic, and bring more attention to the Bowl that was one of the big four before the BCS took over.

Remember, back in the day, on New Years Day, there were four games played that had the prestige, such as the Rose, the Orange, the Sugar and the Cotton. The other fell into place shortly thereafter.

If you read between the lines, from comments from Rick Baker, and others with the Cotton Bowl, and the BCS committee, originally they thought that the Cotton could be the FIFTH Bowl on the rotation, now it might be the FOURTH! And that would be great for North Texas… oh and NO temporary seats to worry about! (sorry for the reference to a botched Super Bowl)

All in all, the common word in both of these thoughts are that a change has to be made, and in both cases, its for the better!

Dez Bryant—change your direction, and take care of the law suits, its not like you don’t have the money to secure this, and for the Cotton Bowl, the change would be great for the North Texas area, and be a nice feather in the hat to take away the stigma that the Super Bowl left behind, despite the fact that most of the problems were weather related.

Its just a thought!