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We need to tread carefully. It is very easy to get caught up in the initial reaction to breaking news without getting a complete picture. Some people have preconceived notions that they were waiting to have confirmed, others straddled a fence and still others remain steadfast in their support. This latest Dez Bryant incident is the perfect petri dish, as we can attest to in the comment section of the initial article as well as the reaction around the web.
Here are the facts.
Dez Bryant was arrested on Monday for a Class A Misdemeanor (assault injury, family violence) and released on bond of $1,500 after a warrant was issued for him in the city of DeSoto, Texas. The warrant was issued after his mother, Angela Bryant, called 9-1-1 on July 14th to report an attack from her son on the same day.
The arrest warrant indicates that when the police arrived at Ms. Bryant's home, "the officers did not witness any physical injuries on Complainant nor did she complain of pain at the time of report."
The police (different officers) returned to the home on Monday, July 16th to follow up, where Angela Bryant complained of pain in her wrists, hands and arms. The officers witnessed swelling in these areas and took Ms. Bryant into the station to provide a written statement. In that, Ms. Bryant stated that the injuries occurred after Dez grabbed her and she was trying to pull away. According to Ms. Bryant, Dez struck her repeatedly on her wrists and hands. She also had bruising on her arms and stated that she was sore in the chest from Dez pushing her.
From this information, the police issued a warrant for Bryant's arrest on Monday and he turned himself into the authorities.
The Dallas Morning News has a copy of the arrest warrant for Bryant. It can be viewed here and contains the information above.
Much more...
The initial 9-1-1 call is also available, per TMZ here. In it, you can hear that Ms. Bryant has gone to another address (not where the alleged assault took place) to call the authorities, and initially there is an argument in the background that seems to hold her attention while she initiates the complaint.
Those are the facts. There is still a great deal of unknown in this situation that has to be vetted before a course of action is undertaken by the authorities, Jerry Jones, or the NFL Commissioner. To this point, all of the topics being circulated stem from the complaint side of the situation. This isn't a defense of Bryant in any way shape or form; rather it is a statement saying that maybe judgment should be withheld until we learn more about what transpired that evening.
Do we know what the disagreement was over? Do we know how credible Ms. Bryant's statement is? What is Dez Bryant's defense for the accusations? Is there any chance the alleged assault was self-defense? These answers may or may not change what we think about this particular incident, but they should at least be answered before we finalize our opinions on the subject, correct?
I know in today's world, we react quickly to breaking news and then move on to the next subject, so I may be asking for too much. I just would like to hear everything about the situation before proclaiming my stance; and I wish some of the journalists on the Cowboys and NFL beat would do the same.