Can the Cowboys afford to keep Bryant?

The circus surrounding the Cowboys got this one wrong.

Again.

We, the media pulpit, often do, of course, but the egregious error this particular instance is we the circus took the focus on Dez Bryant’s latest (and most severe) transgression and directed it toward league ramifications.

“What will Roger Goodell do?” our talking heads gasped.

He’ll come down on Bryant with the wrath of God by fining him, perhaps suspending him, too, and generally rake his young butt across the coals in front of everybody. But really, who cares?

If you’re one of the gazillions in the world enamored with the Cowboys then what you really want to know is “How will this affect their won-loss record in the upcoming season?” After all, a mama-choker usually ain’t real good for locker room camaraderie.

Ah, shades of Duane Thomas and Hollywood Henderson. Neither of those two infamous Pokes were mama-maulers, but they were sent packing, nonetheless. ‘Course, those were the Uncle Tom and Tex days. Jerry ain’t never been confused with those two.

Thomas and Henderson were integral parts of championship teams. Still, they were each publicly jettisoned. Why? Because even though they could be sensational players whose efforts often led directly to the Cowboys winning games, they were ultimately deemed in the long run to lead to losing. Uncle Tom would’ve canned his star quarterback, Captain America, if he felt Roger the Dodger was not good for the team.

In other words, getting rid of both Thomas and Henderson were reasoned to be addition by subtraction. The question now with Bryant is will he become more of a distraction and thus, liability, than asset now that his teammates may perhaps look across the room and see instead of a superstar in the making, they envision a mama-beater? Cuz if that’s the case, then it doesn’t matter how many TDs he scores or scores he sets up with his spectacular play-making, he’s gonna cause division within the ranks. And unfortunately, that means he has to go. Period.

There is a school of thought that says help him every way possible, then cut bait. Get him all the psychological counsel he needs, spiritual direction necessary, even medical help, if that’s what is required. Don’t abandon the kid or dessert him. But cut him after doing everything humanly possible to help him – even if it means Bryant winds up being the superstar he should while wearing a Redskins uniform. Ahhhh!

Don’t count me in that camp just yet. I’d root for the Taliban before singing, “Hail to the Redskins.”

Some say Bryant has never had a role model who would slap him upside the head when he needed it. Sure doesn’t seem like it. Drew Pearson is on record as saying Bryant needs to move from his family. Pearson says Bryant’s family is a bad influence. There are reports stating Bryant’s mom is anything but June Cleaver. Whatever it is, it ain’t working as far as Bryant maintaining his roots with his East Texas home of Lufkin.

Michael Irvin, the only other Cowboy ever allowed to wear the famed and revered #88 jersey besides Pearson and Bryant, begs the question of how does it reach the point where your own mother says she doesn’t want you around? That is the point, many say, and therein lies the problem.

If your own mama, sorry though she may be, doesn’t particularly care for your company – even though you’re a zillionaire – and being around your immediate family is lending itself to you consistently exhibiting self-destructing type behavior, then it’s obviously time to move on. At least for awhile.

The question staring Jerry and son in the face right now is, is it time for Bryant to move on from the Cowboys? For Thomas and Henderson, it obviously was. For Irvin, a bit of tough love was all it took for him to be able to stick around and realize all his professional football player dreams. Most Cowboy fans definitely prefer for the latter to prove to be the case in this specific case. After all, Bryant has the kind of talent to win a couple of NFL games every year on his own. He’s that good.

But not if his mere presence is now going to affect any of the other 50+ players on the team to where they are less the players the Cowboys need for them to be in order to win another Super Bowl. Then it ain’t addition by subtraction. It’s just detraction.

J. David Barron is a staff columnist for Star Community Newspapers. Reach him at dbarron@starlocalnews.com

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