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Identity

Dez Bryant, Wide Receiver, Accused of Assaulting His Mother

via USA Today Sports

Position: Wide receiver
**Height / *Weight:*** 6' 2" / 220 lbs
*College:* Oklahoma State University–Stillwater
NFL draft: 2010 / Round: 1 / Pick: 24
Career history: Dallas Cowboys (2010–present)


In July 2012, Bryant was arrested in DeSoto, TX, and charged with Class A misdemeanor domestic violence for allegedly assaulting his mother Angela. In a 911 call, Angela Bryant told the operator, "My son assaulted me," adding, "I can't keep letting him do this. I can't keep letting him do me like this. I'm tired. I'm going to put an end to it today." In a police-camera video obtained TMZ, Angela—who's wearing torn clothing—tells the responding officer that her son had pulled her hair, ripped her shirt, and threatened to knock her out.

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Later that month, she submitted an affidavit of non-prosecution to the Dallas County District Attorney. Dez and Angela Bryant then held a joint press conference that week at which they did not answer questions but were present as their lawyer read a prepared statement: "Did a family disagreement occur? Yes. Did Dez Bryant commit family violence against his mother? No."

In November 2012, Bryant was granted dismissal of the charge by the district attorney conditional on him staying out of trouble for one year. Bryant was already enrolled in anger-management counseling.

Neither the NFL nor the Dallas Cowboys took any action against Bryant.


In early 2015, numerous media reports suggested that security video existed of Bryant dragging his girlfriend across the ground from one vehicle to another in the parking lot of a Walmart in Lancaster, TX. Walmart denied that there was any such security video. Still, the rumors were rampant enough that, in February 2015, the NFL posted the Lancaster Police Department incident report from an alleged disturbance in the parking lot of the Lancaster Walmart.

According to the report, in July 2011, an unknown person reported seeing a black female being "dragged from one vehicle to another vehicle" by a black male. When the officer arrived at the scene, no one was present. According to a security guard, who arrived to the scene after an unknown person reported a disturbance, a white Mercedes—registered to Dez Bryant—was parked with the door open and a child's toy on the ground. While the security guard was on the scene, two men pulled up in a Cadillac Escalade—also registered to Dez Bryant—saying they received a call from Ilyne Nash, the mother of Bryant's children, asking them to pick up the Mercedes. Then, a third car—a white Bentley registered to Dez Bryant—pulled up with Bryant and Nash inside. Nash said she was not assaulted or injured in any way. It was determined there was no offense.

Bryant did not return Broadly's request for comment.