Dez Bryant's two touchdowns in the Dallas Cowboys' loss to the Detroit Lions on Sunday were overshadowed by his apparent temper-tantrum on the sidelines. Bryant maintained, contrary to how it looked, that he was only being passionate. On Monday, NFL.com released the audio from the sideline rant.
Listen to the audio HERE.
Bryant appeared enraged, menacing up and down the sideline and animatedly getting in the faces of teammates as the game slipped away. It looked as if Bryant were chewing out Tony Romo and Jason Witten; he had to be separated from the latter by DeMarcus Ware.
The 24-year-old receiver refused to apologize and insisted his tirade wasn't disrespectful or about him just wanting the football.
"Tony Romo and Jason Witten, those are our leaders," Bryant said on Monday, via ESPN. "Those are our main guys. The reason why I'm able to voice my opinion is because those guys helped me become who I am to where I can do that. Whenever I do things, I promise y'all, man, it's all out of trying to keep our team motivated, keeping the passion, letting people know this game is important to us."
Romo defended Bryant, insisting it's not in Bryant's character to make selfish demands for the ball.
The release of the audio from the sideline proves Bryant's impassioned rant wasn't anything malicious - it was about strategy.
"Hey, if those [expletives] press me, it's over! It's over!" Bryant said, via ESPN.
Moments later, Bryant shouted: "We're good on that, Tony! We're the best in the NFL at that! We're the best in the NFL!"
Bryant said the veteran players were trying to calm him down and get him focused on the Cowboys' last chance for a comeback, according to ESPN.
Despite how it might have looked to spectators, there isn't any animosity between Bryant and the team.
"Dez is the farthest thing from (a diva)," Cowboys coach Jason Garrett said. "Dez is a great teammate. He loves this team. He's very passionate about football. He's a great competitor. He loves to work at it. He loves to practice. He loves to play. He wants to win as much as anybody I've ever been around.
"His teammates love him. His coaches love him."
