On WFAN: PFT's Florio Discusses Dez Bryant Police Report, Rumored Video
NEW YORK (WFAN) -- Everyone is talking about a rumored video -- that may or may not exist -- allegedly showing Cowboys receiver Dez Bryant doing something described as potentially career-threatening. Some of the rumors, which made their way to the mainstream media after Bryant tweeted of a vague betrayal on Wednesday, have the incident taking place in a Walmart parking lot.
Now we know that authorities responded to "an unknown disturbance" at a Lancaster, Tx. Walmart in July 2011, the summer before Bryant's second pro season. And there were vehicles registered to Bryant at the scene, according to a police report published Thursday by NFL.com, and an "unknown person reported seeing a (black female) being dragged" from one of those vehicles, a white Mercedes. Police "determined that there was no offense" after "speaking with all parties involved," including Bryant and the alleged victim, identified as his longtime girlfriend Ilyne Nash, both of whom arrived together while two other men were being questioned.
Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio sparked national interest in the matter when he said last week on 105.3 The Fan in Dallas that many in the media have known about a rumored video "for months" and "the Cowboys are afraid it will come out and have a Ray Rice-like type of an impact." ESPN insider Adam Schefter recently said during a radio interview that he's been chasing the story since September.
Florio joined WFAN's "Boomer & Carton" show on Thursday to discuss the latest developments.
"Someone insisted to me last night that there is someone out there who has (the video). And it's like, fine, then let's see it," Florio said. "Whoever has it needs to either show it or sell it to someone who will. And again, that all just gets back to this bottom-line reality: this rumor of a video has been out there for months now, it's been believed to be one of the reasons why the Cowboys are hesitant to make a long-term commitment, and we're getting closer to the point where this video -- if it exists -- is going to surface.
"And really, the only way a video doesn't exist is if there were no surveillance cameras in that lot, which would make it the only Walmart store in the world that doesn't have surveillance cameras in its parking lot."
But a big unknown remains: If there's video, as Florio believes, is Bryant in it? The answer could spark many more questions.
"If there's video of somebody being dragged across the ground and no one was arrested, I think that invites a closer look at what exactly went on," Florio said.
PFT's Mike Florio On Dez Bryant Situation
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According to the police report, "Nash stated she was not assaulted or injured in any way and that it was just an argument" with one of the men at the scene. She told police that after leaving with the man in his vehicle, she "contacted Bryant to pick her up" from a friend's house and had the NFL star drive her back to the Walmart.
Bryant, locked in contract negotiations with the Cowboys, appeared to address the situation in a tweet last Friday: "I'm not ashamed of none of my past incidents because that's what made me who I am today." He posted again Wednesday on Twitter and hinted that he was being "betrayed." The tweet was quickly deleted.
"I think at this point it's inevitable," Florio said when asked if he expects surveillance footage to be released. "What the video shows -- how good the quality is, whether we can tell who's in it -- that may be subject to debate for years to come.
"But I think we're going to see something in the next month."
