Nightmarish fall leads to Bryants dream ending
By Michael Silver, Yahoo! Sports
Apr 23, 3:15 am EDT
DESOTO, Texas When the call came, and the most excruciating wait of his young life had ended, Dez Bryant only had a few seconds of daylight. Then the disbelieving receiver braced for impact and collapsed in a heap of humanity.
[img_r]http://l.yimg.com/a/p/sp/tools/med/2010/04/ipt/1272007485.jpg?&sig=GtRq3nAJ4WGXSusvhEP7vA--[/img_r]Hiding away in the weight room of a house full of restless relatives, friends and reporters Thursday night, Bryant had barely answered owner Jerry Jones blessed question Are you ready to be a Cowboy? with an emphatic, Yes, sir! when a bear of a man wrapped him in an emphatic embrace he will never, ever forget.
Bryant, the much-maligned and ultra-talented wideout who Dallas was about to select with the 24th overall pick of the 2010 NFL draft, was quickly gang-tackled by his closest friends. The first hit, however, was the sweetest: It came from David Wells, the adviser and father figure who the former Oklahoma State standout credits with helping to put him on the path to maturity.
Hes one of the best things thats ever happened to me, Bryant said of Wells, who hosted Thursdays shindig at his home in suburban Dallas, spending most of the day outside cooking ribs and chicken. Hes a blessing to me Im not gonna lie.
On Thursday night Bryant felt the same way about Jones, the owner who swung the trade that turned a bummer of a draft night into a raucous, Texas-sized celebration. Bryant, a native of Lufkin, who has been staying with Wells in DeSoto, had said earlier in the day it was his dream to play for the Cowboys, whose facility is a 40-minute drive from his advisers home.
After a harrowing pre-draft period that saw his character repeatedly questioned and one team go so far as to ask him whether his mother was a prostitute, Bryant got the happy ending and new beginning hed craved. He sees Jones as a non-judgmental employer wholl provide him with the best possible environment in which to thrive and to rebuke his critics in the process.
This is what I wanted most of all, Bryant said a few minutes after being picked while soaking up the love from partygoers outside Wells luxuriant home. I like everything about Jerry. Hes a straight-shooter. He just shoots through all the b.s. and being a Cowboy just feels right.
Im ready to go to work and show the world Im not the guy that people think I am.
Bryant, who joins a receiving corps that includes burgeoning star Miles Austin, high-priced and under-achieving Roy Williams and perennial Pro Bowl tight end Jason Witten, had better be ready. A few minutes after Dallas picked Bryant, I got a text from Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo which read, Tell him to be ready to go to work. Im expecting a lot. Gonna be fun.
When I showed it to Bryant, he smiled and said, I like that. Im ready.
If he ever wavers in his commitment, you can bet hell hear about it from Wells, who owns a bail-bond company and has advised pro athletes for 15 years, dating back to an association with Cowboys Hall of Fame receiver Michael Irvin in the 90s. Wells, a cousin of 49ers wideout Michael Crabtree, met Bryant at an awards show two years ago and, he said, Dez grabbed onto me and hasnt let me go ever since.
On Wednesday night Wells stood in his kitchen and had an emotional telephone conversation with his sister, Michelle Wells-Milton, who was fighting for her life in the intensive care unit of a Southern California hospital.
She got cancer in 1997, and its all over her body, Wells said. Thirteen years ago they told her she was going to die, and I came in the hospital and she was unconscious. I started yelling and told her, Theres no way youre going to stop fighting. Get up out of this bed! Security threw me out, but five days later she walked out of that hospital, and shes been fighting it ever since. I call her my pound-for-pound champion. Shes the toughest person I know.
Michelle, who was in a coma a week ago, was unable to talk Wednesday, but her husband held up the phone so that she could listen to her brothers encouraging words. Tomorrows draft day, and were having a party for Dez, Wells told her. You watch hes gonna be a Cowboy. A Cowboy! And youll come out here and watch him play.
Wells was teary-eyed as he hung up the phone. The Cowboys are her favorite team, he said softly. And I just have this feeling
As most of the people in his house watched Thursdays first round play out with anxious scowls on their faces, Wells kept the faith. About nine picks into the draft, Bryant went outside to get some air, ultimately retreating to the weight room with his girlfriend, Ilyne Nash, and a handful of close friends.
I just needed some time to myself, he explained later. I just wanted to be relaxed and I wasnt relaxed in front of all those people. (Camera crews from ESPN and the NFL Network and other local and national reporters probably didnt help, either.) As the draft went on, I kept telling myself, God has a plan. And I was just praying: Man, I hope Dallas comes up and gets me.
It had been a stressful day from the start. Bryant woke up to learn that his month-old iPhone was malfunctioning, and he ended up at a local Apple store waiting hours for it to be repaired. Ultimately, he was given a replacement phone with all of his contacts erased.
Given his reputation for unreliability, Bryant knew some might be skeptical of his story.
Look, he said a couple of hours before the draft began, whipping out the phone. Its a brand new phone. Can you believe this happened today, of all days?
As the first round dragged on, it seemed Bryants image problems had negatively impacted his fortunes in a significant way. When the Bengals didnt take him with the 21st pick, and the Patriots traded out of the 22nd selection (and moved back two spots), there were groans all around. And a few expletives were uttered after the Broncos, whod acquired the 22nd pick, took Georgia Tech receiver Demaryius Thomas meaning Bryant, considered the most talented wideout in the draft class, would not be the first one off the board.
The Ravens, with the 25th pick, seemed to be Bryants logical destination. But when it was announced that Dallas had swung a trade with the Patriots, who now held the 24th pick, to move ahead of the Ravens, Bryants heart started racing, and he stood up and smiled excitedly.
Seconds later, his phone rang.
It was an unknown number, he said. I said, Im answering this.
The words he heard next were pure bliss.
Dez, this is Jerry. Are you ready to be a Cowboy?
Yes, sir, Bryant answer. All I needed was a chance, and I got my chance. I cant wait to get started
[img_r]http://l.yimg.com/a/p/sp/tools/med/2010/04/ipt/1272004918.jpg[/img_r]Then bam, Wells entered the room and wrapped him in the bear hug, and boyhood friend Carldelro King piled on, and then a few others helped take him down, and the rest was a blur.
Soon Bryant entered the living room to raucous applause. He cried as people chanted Cowboys, Cowboys, then put on a fresh, white Dallas hat the NFL had sent (along with those of 10 other teams) and held his 2-year-old son, Zayne, in his arms.
Later Bryant walked around the house and, one-by-one, embraced and thanked every guest. After that, he skipped outside and did a solo victory lap around Longmeadow Lane. A stiff wind whipped through the palm trees outside Wells house, and a light rain fell.
This time, Bryant sought out Wells and locked him in a heartfelt hug.
Dave has helped me in so many ways, he said later. Put it this way: Hes not a guy who tells me what I want to hear. He tells me what I need to do, and I appreciate him so much for that.
In that sense, playing for the Cowboys truly is an ideal situation for Bryant. If he wants to stay here and commute, Wells said, hell be able to do that.
Late Thursday night, Wells smiled and thought about how Bryants selection might brighten the spirits of a Cowboys fan dear to his heart.
All Im thinking about right now is Michelle, he said softly. I cant wait to call my sister.