Cowboys Won't Curtail Dez's Hoop Dreams
SAN DIEGO, CA (105.3 THE FAN) - It is commonplace in the NFL for teams to restrict players from offseason activities that might put them at injury risk. Skiing. Skydiving. That sort of thing.
I suggested on 105.3 The Fan's "New School'' this morning with Shan Shariff and R.J. Choppy that the Dallas Cowboys would be wise to place a similar restriction on Dez Bryant, whose passion for basketball matches his passion for football – which maybe has something to do with his patella tendonitis problem.
But, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones tells 105.3 The Fan, "He's a young player and should be able to do about anything that he wants to do. I don't think it has anything to do with anything away from football."
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Bryant, a budding star entering his third season in the NFL, limped away from practice Monday in San Diego with a leg injury. The Cowboys immediately performed an MRI on his right knee. The diagnosis is patella tendonitis – in basketball, well-known as "jumpers knee.''
Dallas dodged a bullet here; Bryant now needs to simply rest his knee and while he isn't expected to play against the St. Louis Rams in the Cowboys' preseason game Saturday at Cowboys Stadium, he should be ready for the regular-season opener Sept. 5 at the New York Giants.
"No, no, I'm alright!'' is what Dez told me as he entered the MRI room, and Jones says Bryant's prediction is correct.
"It sounds like he's going to be fine," Jones said. "We'll see how it works. I would think he's probably going to be limited this weekend. We were quite relieved that he didn't have any structural damage there, and that's a good thing."
It might also be a good thing to ask Dez – despite his youthful exuberance – to curtail the extracurricular activities. Last week, when the Cowboys left their Oxnard training facility for a break on the beach, Bryant spend the entire time throwing around a football. His passion for sports is a strength. Coach Jason Garrett says he's "maturing'' into being "the best football player he can be.''
Part of that maturation means Dez doing everything possible to maintain health … and despite Jones' generous comments, it might mean less offseason basketball, too.
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