When Dallas Cowboys rookie Dez Bryant refused to carry shoulder pads during training camp, veteran wide receiver Roy Williams promised the up-and-coming star that he would pay. And on Monday night, Bryant did pay — literally.
In response to Bryant’s refusal, Williams told the rookie he would instead have to take the team out to dinner. Considering Bryant’s guaranteed $8.6 million rookie contract — Williams figured he could handle the appetites of the Cowboys’ offensive line.
They brought their appetites all right.
Williams invited the entire team out to dinner on Bryant’s tab, heading to Pappas Bros. Steakhouse, a Dallas restaurant that features a 90-page wine list. Players ordered just about everything on the extensive menu, where the least expensive steak option is a $35.95 filet mignon. But you can imagine NFL linebackers didn’t just order an 8-ounce steak and call it a night. Several players even ordered bottles of wine to bring home, all on Bryant’s bill.
By the end of the night, Bryant was left with a $54,896 check to pay.
“They got the young fella,” said Bryant’s adviser, David Wells, according to ESPN.com. “What could he say? He had to pay it unless he wanted to wash dishes for a month.”
After paying that chunk of change, a few sweaty shoulder pads probably don’t look so bad after all.
