DALLAS (105.3 THE FAN) – Lawyers representing Dez Bryant met this week with the Dallas County District Attorney’s office and, according to a source familiar with the case, are extremely close to a plea bargain in which the Dallas Cowboys’ receiver will plead guilty to a reduced charge of a Class C misdemeanor for Family Violence.
Bryant was arrested by DeSoto police July 16 after a dispute with his mother, Angela, and originally charged with a Class A misdemeanor. That could have come with a $4,000 fine and up to a year in jail. The proposed deal, which the source said is “on the 1-yard line about to go in”, mandates Bryant’s guilty plea on a diminished charge in exchange for reduced punishments of no jail time, no probation, a $500 fine and anger management classes.
Even without a guilty plea, Bryant would have been subjected to the NFL’s personal conduct policy.
Bryant, who caught 4 passes for 85 yards in Dallas’ season-opening upset of the defending Super Bowl champion New York Giants Wednesday, has been shielded by the Cowboys from talking to the media about the incident.
Angela Bryant initially called 911 on July 14, and when police returned to her house July 16 they found swelling and bruises on her arms and hands. In her statement, Angela told police that her son, among other things, struck her in the face with a baseball cap. Bryant turned himself in later that day.
On July 24 Bryant’s attorney, state senator Royce West, held a news conference in his office also attended by Dez and Angela, but only read a short statement in which he said “Did a family disagreement occur? Yes. Did Dez Bryant commit family violence against his mother? No.”
The crime will go permanently on Bryant’s record, but is considered along the lines of a traffic ticket.
Bryant was arrested by DeSoto police July 16 after a dispute with his mother, Angela, and originally charged with a Class A misdemeanor. That could have come with a $4,000 fine and up to a year in jail. The proposed deal, which the source said is “on the 1-yard line about to go in”, mandates Bryant’s guilty plea on a diminished charge in exchange for reduced punishments of no jail time, no probation, a $500 fine and anger management classes.
Even without a guilty plea, Bryant would have been subjected to the NFL’s personal conduct policy.
Bryant, who caught 4 passes for 85 yards in Dallas’ season-opening upset of the defending Super Bowl champion New York Giants Wednesday, has been shielded by the Cowboys from talking to the media about the incident.
Angela Bryant initially called 911 on July 14, and when police returned to her house July 16 they found swelling and bruises on her arms and hands. In her statement, Angela told police that her son, among other things, struck her in the face with a baseball cap. Bryant turned himself in later that day.
On July 24 Bryant’s attorney, state senator Royce West, held a news conference in his office also attended by Dez and Angela, but only read a short statement in which he said “Did a family disagreement occur? Yes. Did Dez Bryant commit family violence against his mother? No.”
The crime will go permanently on Bryant’s record, but is considered along the lines of a traffic ticket.
