Cowboys rookie receiver Dez Bryant already has ruffled some feathers in Big D.
According to ESPN.com, veteran Cowboys receiver Roy Williams gave his pads to Bryant after Sunday’s practice but Bryant wouldn’t carry them, refusing to participate in the NFL tradition of rookie hazing.
"Everybody has to go through it," Williams told ESPN.com. "I had to go through it. No matter if you're a No. 1 pick or the 7,000th pick, you've still got to do something when you're a rookie.
"I carried pads. I paid for dinners. I paid for lunches. I did everything I was supposed to do, because I didn't want to be that guy."
Bryant appears to have no problem being "that guy."
"I'm not doing it," Bryant told ESPN.com. "I feel like I was drafted to play football, not carry another player's pads.
"If I was a free agent, it would still be the same thing. I just feel like I'm here to play football. I'm here to try to help win a championship, not carry someone's pads. I'm saying that out of no disrespect to [anyone]."
Bryant, who went to Oklahoma State, has shined on the field so far, making impressive catches to loud applause during practice.
But off the field, Williams intends to teach the newcomer a lesson. Williams told reporters that Bryant isn’t off the hook, and that now he’ll have to go to "step two."
When asked what "step two" might be, Williams said, "I don't know. I've seen guys take people's credit cards and go fill up their cards and wife's cards and everything. There's a lot of dirt that goes on in that locker room."
Bryant doesn’t seem to be worried, telling reporters, "I don't believe in that at all. We have a goal here. It's not about playing games. It's all about just trying to do the right thing and achieve our goal."
