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The distractions that take place in Dez Bryant’s life are over, so says the Dallas Cowboys’ star wide receiver.
And he recognizes rapper/mogul Jay Z for the amazing transformation. According to Dez, he relies on Jay Z for everything from contracts and marketing, to personal advice.
“I think when I signed with Roc Nation, that was a life-changing deal for me,” Dez Bryant explained. “They just helped me understand a lot of things.”
Growing up in Lufkin, Texas was not easy for the Dez Bryant. His mother Angela, who gave birth to her son when she was 14, served 18 months in prison for selling crack cocaine.
Bryant bounced from house to house and found his outlet in sports, where he was a standout athlete at Lufkin High School and later, Oklahoma State University.
Bryant’s off-season troubles have been well documented. Early in his career in 2009, he was forced to pay back a half a million dollars in jewelry, which he obtained as a college student, with student loan credits. He was suspended by the NCAA for training with Dion Sanders, who bought him lunch, which is a violation of the rules.
In 2011 Bryant was booted from a local mall after security questioned his sagging pants. And the issues with his mother resurfaced in 2012 when he was jailed for smacking his mother in the face with a baseball cap and ripping her clothes during a quarrel.
His character was thrust back into the spotlight in 2014 after accusations surfaced that he beat up his girlfriend, Ilyne Nash in a video that was recorded in 2011.
“A lot of questions were answered. They also mean the world to me too. They put me in a different light,” Dez Bryant told The Star-Telegram.
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It is easy to understand why Dez Bryant is enamored with Jay Z. Although Roc Nation Sports is fighting a $20 million lawsuit filed by disgruntled boxing partners, Jay’s business is flying. The sports roster includes athletes like Victor Cruz, Geno Smith and others. And, Roc Nation recently signed a television deal with BET to air live boxing events on the network.
Roc Nation’s latest high-profile move was on behalf of Dez Bryant, who recently re-negotiated a new $70 million, five-year contract with the Cowboys thanks to Roc Nation and Dez’ agent Tom Condon.
The new inspiration and business guidance should help Bryant with his off-field endeavors, which includes a clothing line ThrowUpTheXapparel.
“They gave me a boost of confidence. And I thank them. I’m cautious in a good way about the moves that I make,” Dez Bryant said. “Just because certain things that came about, even if they were false, I take all blame for all of that. I just know that it will never happen again. I will never be in those kind of situations to where somebody can say this or say that. That will never happen again.”
