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By Tom Orsborn - Express-News
Web Posted: 07/27/2010 12:00 CDT
Determined to remain focused on their goal of building a Super Bowl contender, the Dallas Cowboys moved quickly Monday to quash a pair of distractions that disrupted what had been a tranquil training camp.
One day after a hazing incident involving seventh-year pro Roy Williams and first-round draft pick Dez Bryant created drama at the Alamodome, coach Wade Phillips informed the team he had no problem with rookies refusing to subject themselves to harassment from veterans.
“I don't believe you need to initiate anybody,” Phillips said. “(Rookies) need to come out and play football and be part of a team.”
Having dealt with the time-honored NFL tradition of hazing, the Cowboys turned their attention to a modern-day problem: Professional athletes popping up nude on the Internet.
In this case, the victim was tight end Martellus Bennett.
Nude photos of the third-year player from Texas A&M surfaced Monday on the website MediaTakeOut.com. An angry ex-girlfriend purportedly leaked the cell phone shots.
Bennett declined to do interviews after practice, but he later issued a statement through the club.
“These pictures were taken four years ago and placed on the Internet recently without my knowledge or consent,” he said. “I understand they are totally inappropriate, and for that I am sorry. I regret the embarrassment it has caused the organization.”
A team spokesman said in a statement that the club discussed the matter with Bennett and would “address it further” internally.
Phillips spent most of his afternoon news conference fielding questions about the hazing incident and Bennett's nude photos. He said he addressed the hazing incident with the team because it received widespread media coverage.
“It's really a non-issue,” Phillips said. “It's not a problem for either (player) or our team. I'd like to cut it off now and say we're not going to talk about it, but that's not the case for the Dallas Cowboys.”
Like Bennett, Bryant declined to talk to reporters. He jogged off the field after practice with cameramen in pursuit.
The Oklahoma State alum sparked a firestorm of media debate after he refused to carry Williams' shoulder pads off the field after Sunday's practice.
Williams downplayed Bryant's refusal.
“If he doesn't want to take the pads, he doesn't have to take the pads,” Williams said. “It's not a big deal. We talked about it. He wants to concentrate on football, so we are going to let him concentrate on football.”
But Williams was quick to add with a smile that, “When we go out to eat, I'm gonna be a little bit more hungry and a little bit more thirsty ... I might bring 10 family members when we go out to eat.”
Rookie hazing has long been an NFL rite of passage. Newcomers to the league are often given embarrassing haircuts — a tradition among the Cowboys offensive linemen — or asked to sing their school songs.
“It should be (all in fun),” Williams said. “I had to do it (carry shoulder pads), and I was the No. 7 (overall pick). It's what you gotta do. But if you don't want to do it, it's not like I'm going to put a gun to your head.”
Phillips spoke forcefully against hazing and said rookie participation should be strictly voluntary.
“I didn't like (hazing) when I was in college,” Phillips said. “I thought it was wrong. We treat our men like men.”
Two team captains made it clear they wouldn't allow the flap to continue.
“For us, it's nothing,” linebacker Bradie James said. “Think about it. It's nothing. It just so happened to be Dez Bryant.”
Said tight end Jason Witten: “We got a lot of work to do, I know that. And that's not one of the things we need to worry about, for sure.”
Web Posted: 07/27/2010 12:00 CDT
Determined to remain focused on their goal of building a Super Bowl contender, the Dallas Cowboys moved quickly Monday to quash a pair of distractions that disrupted what had been a tranquil training camp.
One day after a hazing incident involving seventh-year pro Roy Williams and first-round draft pick Dez Bryant created drama at the Alamodome, coach Wade Phillips informed the team he had no problem with rookies refusing to subject themselves to harassment from veterans.
“I don't believe you need to initiate anybody,” Phillips said. “(Rookies) need to come out and play football and be part of a team.”
Having dealt with the time-honored NFL tradition of hazing, the Cowboys turned their attention to a modern-day problem: Professional athletes popping up nude on the Internet.
In this case, the victim was tight end Martellus Bennett.
Nude photos of the third-year player from Texas A&M surfaced Monday on the website MediaTakeOut.com. An angry ex-girlfriend purportedly leaked the cell phone shots.
Bennett declined to do interviews after practice, but he later issued a statement through the club.
“These pictures were taken four years ago and placed on the Internet recently without my knowledge or consent,” he said. “I understand they are totally inappropriate, and for that I am sorry. I regret the embarrassment it has caused the organization.”
A team spokesman said in a statement that the club discussed the matter with Bennett and would “address it further” internally.
Phillips spent most of his afternoon news conference fielding questions about the hazing incident and Bennett's nude photos. He said he addressed the hazing incident with the team because it received widespread media coverage.
“It's really a non-issue,” Phillips said. “It's not a problem for either (player) or our team. I'd like to cut it off now and say we're not going to talk about it, but that's not the case for the Dallas Cowboys.”
Like Bennett, Bryant declined to talk to reporters. He jogged off the field after practice with cameramen in pursuit.
The Oklahoma State alum sparked a firestorm of media debate after he refused to carry Williams' shoulder pads off the field after Sunday's practice.
Williams downplayed Bryant's refusal.
“If he doesn't want to take the pads, he doesn't have to take the pads,” Williams said. “It's not a big deal. We talked about it. He wants to concentrate on football, so we are going to let him concentrate on football.”
But Williams was quick to add with a smile that, “When we go out to eat, I'm gonna be a little bit more hungry and a little bit more thirsty ... I might bring 10 family members when we go out to eat.”
Rookie hazing has long been an NFL rite of passage. Newcomers to the league are often given embarrassing haircuts — a tradition among the Cowboys offensive linemen — or asked to sing their school songs.
“It should be (all in fun),” Williams said. “I had to do it (carry shoulder pads), and I was the No. 7 (overall pick). It's what you gotta do. But if you don't want to do it, it's not like I'm going to put a gun to your head.”
Phillips spoke forcefully against hazing and said rookie participation should be strictly voluntary.
“I didn't like (hazing) when I was in college,” Phillips said. “I thought it was wrong. We treat our men like men.”
Two team captains made it clear they wouldn't allow the flap to continue.
“For us, it's nothing,” linebacker Bradie James said. “Think about it. It's nothing. It just so happened to be Dez Bryant.”
Said tight end Jason Witten: “We got a lot of work to do, I know that. And that's not one of the things we need to worry about, for sure.”