Arcadia Rodeo Back in Full Force

 Photos by Tony Mangia

The Arcadia All-Florida Championship Rodeo rolled into town for the 94th time and —as usual— provided thrills in the corral once again. While COVID had thinned the fans in the stands over the past few years, this year's event featured some of the world's best rodeo athletes in front of a sold-out crowd.

94th Annual Arcadia All-Florida Championship Rodeo Results:

Arcadia, Fla., March 9-12

All-around cowboy: Marcus Theriot, $5,770, tie-down roping, steer wrestling and team roping.

Bareback: 1. (tie) Clayton Biglow, and Lane McGehee, 86, $3,923 each; 3. (tie) Clay Jorgenson and Gauge McBride, 84.5, $2,073 each; 5. (tie) Mark Kreder and Ty Pope, 83.5, $888 each; 7. Kade Sonnier, 83, $592; 8. Nick Pelke, 82, $444.

Steer wrestling: 1. Tristan Martin, 3.6, $3,016; 2. (tie) Joshua Hefner and Colton Swearingen, 3.9, $2,484 each; 4. Stetson Jorgensen, 4.0, $1,952; 5. Will Lummus, 4.1, $1,774; 6. Cody Cabral, 4.2, $1,597; 7. Stephen Culling, 4.3, $1,419; 8. Marc Joiner, 4.9, $1,242; 9. (tie) Carson Good and Zack Varner, 5.1, $887 each.

Team roping: 1. Jacob Dagenhart/Adam Plyler, 5.3, $3,216 each; 2. Marcus Theriot/Cole Curry, 5.6, $2,838; 3. Cash Duty/Sid Sporer, 5.7, $2,459; 4. Justin Johnson/Kaden Graves, 6.8, $2,081; 5. Clint Wallace/Cole Walker, 7.3, $1,892; 6. Kaston Peavy/Shane Edmonson, 10.1, $1,703; 7. Dalton Turner/Clay Clayman, 10.4, $1,513; 8. Cory Kidd V/Lane Mitchell, 11.0, $1,324; 9. Spunk Sasser/Parker Carbajal, 11.3, $1,135; 10. Cole Frey/Jacup Dixon, 11.4, $757.

Saddle bronc: 1. Sage Newman, 86.5, $4,343; 2. Logan Hay, 85.5, $3,329; 3. Gus Gaillard, 85, $2,461; 4. Jake Watson, 84.5, $1,592; 5. Tanner Butner, 83.5, $1,013; 6. Traylin Martin, 82.5, $724; 7. (tie) Jake Finlay and Stu Wright, 81, $507 each.

Tie-down roping: 1. Michael Otero, 8.5, $3,835; 2. Hudson Wallace, 8.7, $3,384; 3. Marcus Theriot, 8.9, $2,933; 4. Westyn Hughes, 9.2, $2,482; 5. Bryan McClellan, 9.3, $2,030; 6. (tie) Polo Bacque II and Cole Walker, 10.6, $1,692 each; 8. Chance Oftedahl, 11.4, $1,354; 9. (tie) Blayne Saine and Trenton Smith, 11.8, $1,015 each; 11. Macon Murphy, 12.3, $677; 12. Peydon Strayer, 12.4, $451.

Barrel racing: 1. Shaeley Jenkins, 16.54, $4,276; 2. Sara Winkelman, 16.59, $3,421; 3. Taylor Carver, 16.67, $2,779; 4. (tie) Susie Parisee and Ashley Parks, 16.70, $1,924 each; 6. (tie) Mandy Amos, Kathryn Hawkins and Dallas Sawczak, 16.74, $1,105 each; 9. Kara Kreder, 16.83, $855; 10. Lindsey Hayes-Banks, 16.85, $748; 11. (tie) Margo Crowther and Kaylie Garcia, 16.90, $588 each; 13. (tie) Nicole Love and Peyton Stepanoff, 16.91, $374 each; 15. Presley Smith, 16.96, $214.

Bull riding: 1. Koby Radley, 88.5, $4,846; 2. Lucas Mooningham, 88, $3,715; 3. Denton Fugate, 86, $2,746; 4. Jacob O'Mara, 83, $1,777; 5. Riggin Shippy, 82.5, $1,131; 6. Kase Hitt, 81.5, $808; 7. TJ Gray, 81, $646; 8. Blaine Beaty, 79, $485.

Bull riding: 1. Parker Breding, 86, $1,856; 2. Connor Murnion, 84, $1,406; 3. Wade Berg, 83, $1,012; 4. Hawk Whitt, 82, $675; 5. Billy Stephenson, 81, $394; 6. Jeff Bertus, 80, $281.

Breakaway roping: 1. Sarah Verhelst, 2.9, $1,535; 2. Laine Klasinski, 3.1, $1,335; 3. Brenda White, 3.3, $1,135; 4. Katie Bell, 3.4, $934; 5. Shaylee Wahl, 3.6, $734; 6. Shannah Peterson, 3.7, $534; 7. Micah Barnes, 3.9, $334; 8. (tie) Kaitlyn Coulter and Sadie Dale, 4.8, $67 each.

Other winners at the $148,451 rodeo were all-around cowboy Marcus Theriot ($5,770, tie-down roping, steer wrestling and team roping); bareback riders Clayton Biglow (86 points on Frontier Rodeo's Dark Time) and Lane McGehee (86 points on Frontier Rodeo's Night Fist); steer wrestler Tristan Martin (3.6 seconds); team ropers Jacob Dagenhart/Adam Plyler (5.3 seconds); tie-down roper Michael Otero (8.5 seconds); barrel racer Shaeley Jenkins (16.54 seconds); and bull rider Koby Radley (88.5 points on Frontier Rodeo's Harlon Nights)

More photos>

Arcadia Rodeo is back and bucking strong

 Photos and article by Tony Mangia

Sunday was the final day of the 94th Annual Arcadia All-Florida Championship Rodeo and it was good to see the crowds back in force. The nationally renowned event is the largest and longest-running rodeo in Florida. It’s been called the best rodeo east of the Mississippi by the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association and draws some of the top cowboys and cowgirls in the country.

The $155,000 payoff isn’t hay either. So they don’t call it “The Grandaddy of ‘Em All” for nothing.

Nearly 20,000 rodeo fans passed through spacious Mosaic Arena to catch the excitement which ran from Thursday through Sunday. And, after COVID thinned out the crowds, the past two years, it was good to see smiling faces in the stands. They got to witness some of the best Bareback Bronc Riding, Barrel Racing, Calf Roping and back busting Bull Riding in the world.

The Arcadia Rodeo started in 1929 as a fund-raising event by American Legion members. In 1952, it became its own nonprofit. Now it has a 20-acre arena and a 100-acre civic center owned by DeSoto County. The rodeo gives $60,000 per year to local organizations, including Future Farmers of America, 4H and JROTC.

“Everybody can come here and get here and get to relax, and enjoy just some good professional rodeo,” said Arcadia Community Rodeo Executive Director Carl McKettrick.

And that they did.

RESULTS:

All-around cowboy: Zachary Jongbloed, $3,243, tie-down roping and steer wrestling.

Bareback riding: 1. Jess Pope, 89.5 points on Frontier Rodeo's Tip Off, $4,124; 2. Ty Pope, 87, $3,162; 3. Mason Clements, 85.5, $2,337; 4. (tie) Pascal Isabelle and Bodee Lammers, 85, $1,237 each; 6. Cooper Cooke, 84.5, $687; 7. (tie) Ben Kramer and Tim O'Connell, 84, $481 each.

Steer wrestling: 1. Marc Joiner, 4.3 seconds, $2,858; 2. Justin Kimsey, 4.5, $2,557; 3. (tie) J.W. Ery and Nick Guy, 4.6, $2,106 each; 5. (tie) Caden Camp and Eli Lord, 4.7, $1,504 each; 7. (tie) Kalane Anders and Talon Roseland, 4.8, $902 each; 9. Zack Jongbloed, 5.0, $451; 10. Clint Thomas, 5.3, $150.

Team roping: 1. Shay Dixon Carroll/Evan Arnold, 4.9 seconds, $3,158 each; 2. (tie) Braxton Culpepper/Brad Culpepper, Keven Daniel/Adam Plyler and Dalton Turner/Trent Vaught, 5.0, $2,707 each; 5. (tie) Justin Pruitt/Blaine Turner and Clint Summers/Ross Ashford, 5.1, $2,143 each; 7. Clint Keller/Morgan Jones, 5.2, $1,805; 8. (tie) Jake Cooper/Sid Sporer and Bradley Massey/Reno Gonzales, 5.3, $1,466 each; 10. Karter Kagel/Jacob Goddard, 5.4, $1,128; 11. (tie) Thomas Braman/Justin Delagarza, Kellan Johnson/Carson Johnson and Arky Rogers/Kyle Lawrence, 5.5, $376 each.

Saddle bronc riding: 1. Rusty Wright, 89 points on Frontier Rodeo's Wolf Pup, $4,258; 2. Ryder Wright, 86.5, $3,265; 3. (tie) Mitch Pollock and Zeke Thurston, 86, $1,987 each; 5. (tie) Jake Finlay and Dawson Hay, 85.5, $852 each; 7. Chase Brooks, 85, $568; 8. Kolby Wanchuk, 84.5, $426.

Tie-down roping: 1. Riley Mason Webb, 7.7 seconds, $4,822; 2. Ty Harris, 8.7, $4,315; 3. (tie) Kale Comeaux and West Smith, 9.1, $3,553 each; 5. Zack Jongbloed, 10.2, $2,792; 6. (tie) Randall Carlisle and Macon Murphy, 10.5, $2,030 each; 8. (tie) King Pickett and David Walker, 10.7, $1,015 each; 10. Blake Ash, 11.0, $254.

Barrel racing: 1. (tie) Kristin Hanchey and Taycie Matthews, 16.74 seconds, $4,113 each; 3. Sissy Winn, 16.97, $2,971; 4. Kim Matthews, 16.98, $2,285; 5. Ashley Rogers, 17.02, $1,828; 6. Sarah Waguespack, 17.08, $1,371; 7. (tie) Bayleigh Choate, Wendy Culberson and Christine DeRenzo, 17.09, $1,028 each; 10. Alex Dollar, 17.11, $800; 11. Bailey Mcilwain, 17.14, $686; 12. Sandi Brandli, 17.18, $571; 13. Katie Allred, 17.19, $457; 14. (tie) Shelley Kennemer, Ashley Parks and Megan Swint, 17.20, $190 each.

Bull riding: * 1. Koby Radley, 87 points on Frontier Rodeo's Bonanza, $4,395; 2. (tie) Gage Gay and Cullen Telfer, 85, $2,985 each; 4. Shane Proctor, 84.5, $1,716; 5. Josh Frost, 83.5, $1,152; 6. Jesse Hopper, 83, $870; no other qualified rides. *(all totals include ground money).

Total payoff: $155,433.

Arcadia All-Florida Championship Rodeo Is A Bucking Success

Photos and article by Tony Mangia

In its 93rd year of hosting rodeo competitions and its first year as a ProRodeo Tour event, the Arcadia All-Florida Championship Rodeo drew some of the sport's biggest names and paid out a total purse of over $178,000 during a four-day event at the magnificent Mosaic Arena.

Billed as the “Grandaddy of ‘Em All,” Arcadia is already a popular stop on the rodeo tour, but this year’s PRCA roundup included Tuf Cooper and Clayton Bigelow, both of whom have Gold Buckles, as well as Wyatt Casper, who was last year's Reserve World Champion. 

Mixed in among all of the big names who came to southwest Florida were a lot of up-and-coming steer wrestlers, tie-down ropers and team ropers who found themselves at or near the top of leaderboards that were filled with Wrangler NFR qualifiers. 

This year’s winners were:

Bareback riding—Clayton Bigelow on Frontier Rodeo’s Ace of Spades

SaddleBronc Riding—(tie) Wyatt Casper on Frontier’s Miss Ellie and Cody DeMoss on Frontier Rodeo’s High Roller

Bull Riding—Clayton Sellars on Championship Pro Rodeo’s Excessive Force

Team Roping—(Tie) Cody Snow/Wesley Thorp and Jake Orman/Brye Crates

Tie-down Roping—Tuf Case Cooper

Barrel Racing—Kelly Bruner

Steer wrestling—(Tie) Talon Roseland and Tory Johnson 

Giants To Be Fined For Walkie-Talkie Use Against Cowboys

The New York Giants will be fined for head coach Ben McAdoo's illegal use of walkie-talkies while in communication with Eli Manning for four or five plays during last week's 10-7 win over the Dallas Cowboys.

An NFL.com report said the league will in fact impose a penalty on the Giants, likely only in the form of a fine, for violating the league's rule governing circumstances when a coach's headset malfunctions. The amount of the fine is still to be determined, though the Giants are not expected to lose any draft compensation over the ordeal.

In only the past two weeks the Giants were involved in almost as much he said/she said espionage as the post-presidential election results — the Giants accused the Steelers of using deflated balls during a loss the week before— and now the G-Men are on the other side of the accusations.

McAdoo was seen on the sidelines last Sunday holding a walkie-talkie as a way to communicate with Manning when the team was having difficulty getting the plays to the quarterback via the traditional helmet headset. It is against NFL rules for coaches to hold any two-way radios during a game.

The Cowboys admitted the infraction had no impact on the game — the drive ended in a Manning interception — and never filed a formal complaint against the Giants.

It could be suggested that the seemingly bothersome investigation is a little more serious than some believe, simply because every NFL team knows it isn't allowed and it could have led to a spygate situation.

The Cowboys just shrugged it off.

"If you're asking me if it affected the outcome of the game, no," Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said earlier this week.

Umm...the Russians did it?

So I guess you could say that the new loser’s technological battle cry, “We were hacked” could have applied in this situation.  Only, in this case, the Cowboys took their loss like men.

Social media outrage after Michael Sam tweets Star Wars spoiler (WARNING: SPOILER ALERT)

Ex-NFL player Michael Sam got plenty of fanboys' light sabers in a twist after he tweeted a spoiler for the new Star Wars film just hours after it opened in movie theaters across the country.

The NFL's first openly gay player who also appeared on Dancing With The Stars faced a backlash of criticism from fans who vowed to unfollow him after he disclosed part of the plot of Star Wars: The Force Awakens. 

The defensive end who has played for the St Louis Rams and Dallas Cowboys later removed the post and followed it up with a tweet saying "#oops".

#oops

— Michael Sam (@MichaelSamNFL) December 18, 2015

Star Wars fan Heather Allen tweeted: "Michael Sam just possibly tweeted a Star Wars spoiler. Whether it was just a joke or not, that earned him an unfollow lol."

Other Twitter users tried to warn those online of the spoiler. ReeD tweeted: "Star Wars + NFL fans, avoid Michael Sam's twitter/fb if you follow him. He just posted a MASSIVE spoiler."

While user Lori added: "Michael Sam tweeted about Star Wars spoiler... LMAO Seriously, stay off social media if you don't want to hear about this stuff."

The movie has smashed records for the biggest opening day of all time and it looks set to shatter all time box office records for any film's opening weekend.

It has already taken in over $50 million on its preview night and is projected to gross $250 million over the weekend, according to Variety.

(WARNING: SPOILER ALERT BELOW)

Sam, who currently plays for Canadian team Montreal Alouettes, caused the outrage by revealing that Han Solo played by Harrison Ford dies in the movie.

We think.

Dez Bryant says last-place Cowboys will still 'run the East' (VIDEO)

Dez Bryant didn't let Sunday's 27-20 loss to the Giants take any of the bluster out of the Cowboys' goal of winning the NFC East title — even before he hit the locker room.

The Cowboys, who have now lost four games in a row since Tony Romo went down with a broken collarbone in Week 2, face an uphill battle to even make the playoffs. But that didn't phase the sidelined wide receiver as he was walking off the field at MetLife Stadium and brashly told Giants fans that the Cowboys are "still gonna run the East" this year.

#Cowboys @DezBryant leaves the field with a promise - "We still gon' run the East!" #WFAACowboys #NFL pic.twitter.com/5u5gyo2IiT

— Mike Leslie (@MikeLeslieWFAA) October 25, 2015

Considering that the Cowboys (2-4) will go with either Brandon Weeden or Matt Cassel for at least the next three weeks, that's a mighty bold statement from Bryant.

Romo isn't expected to return until Week 11, which means the Cowboys will have to play the Seahawks and the Eagles in the next two weeks without him.

Bryant is hoping to get back on the field for next Sunday's game against Seattle. But beating the Seahawks with Cassel or Weeden at quarterback is going to be a tall task.

But, as with every year in the NFC East, it's crap shoot. And this year might be the wildest division finish ever.

Tom Coughlin not happy with Rodgers-Cromartie's celebration on way to end zone (VIDEO)

Tom Coughlin was more than happy to see Giants cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie pick off a Matt Cassel pass and take it into the end zone Sunday. 

But the head coach wasn’t exactly thrilled with how Rodgers-Cromartie held the ball up high in celebration 45 yards from the goal line while a bunch of Cowboys were still giving chase down the sideline.

DRC started celebrating his 58-yard pick-6 at the 40-yard line. #DALvsNYG (no @DeionSanders 2-step though) https://t.co/SSPt4s4TSl

— NFL (@NFL) October 25, 2015

“I tried to get him to not hold the ball up in the air with a guy running 4.3 behind him,” Coughlin said. “I just mentioned it to him and he agreed.”

Rodgers-Cromartie's 58-yard pick-6 did put the Giants up 17-13 during the third quarter of the 27-20 victory, but the premature finger-waving might have been a little presumptuous.

Or maybe DRC was just signaling a medic for the referee who was taken out on the sideline by a Cowboys player during the play:

Jason Pierre-Paul: I don't need index finger for sacks

Jason Pierre-Paul sounds ready to return to NFL action after losing his right index finger in a fireworks accident, despite doubts by the New York Giants that he is ready to play.

According to ESPN.com's Dan Graziano, the Giants are still unconvinced that the two-time Pro Bowler is ready to return to last season's form. But Pierre-Paul was quick to point out that his on-field performance won't be negatively impacted by the amputation of his right hand digit:

I can't think of the last time my index finger got me a sack 😉

— iamjasonpierrepaul (@UDWJPP) September 17, 2015

And after Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo had his way with the Giants defense in the waning moments of Sunday night's loss, bringing back JPP's sacking ability would be something the Giants just might just have to take a chance on.

Rashad Jennings apologizes to Eli Manning for throwing quarterback under the bus: Report

As if the game mismanagement disaster during the New York Giants devastating 27-26 loss to the Dallas Cowboys Sunday night wasn't enough to stoke the fires of team turmoil, Rashad Jennings added fuel to the controversy by blabbing to the press that he was instructed not to score on two goal-line plays late in the game.

Now, after throwing Eli Manning under the bus, Jennings, who will be providing a season-long, weekly column to The New York Post, addressed the fallout from the game and issued an apology to the two-time Super Bowl winning quarterback through the newspaper:

First of all, let me say that I want to apologize from my heart for the negative light that I unintentionally cast my quarterback and friend Eli Manning in. I continue to have the utmost respect for him, and I have complete trust in his leadership. It is a strange and unwelcome feeling I have that after all these years as a professional football player, I finally get to experience the other side of how words can be misconstrued.

I see now how what I said could easily be misunderstood as an expression of resentment. I make no claims to be a perfect communicator. But I also assure that I had no ill will at all in stating what I did. Yet, I admit in retrospect that I should not have shared that information with the world. I chose to do so, and for that choice, I am truly sorry.

Jennings also said in the column he apologized to Giants head coach Tom Coughlin and called Manning once his comments began to make headlines.

"Being the humble guy that he is, he wanted us to put this fiasco behind us with no hard feelings so that we could focus on the Falcons," said Jennings. "That is why I am taking this opportunity to more formalize my apology to Eli, the team and the fans."

Jennings also said: 

As professional competitors, our deep-rooted desire to win is usually our best friend. It can drive us to leave everything out there on the field. But sometimes, if we are not careful, it can consume us enough to lead us, in the heat of a moment, to say things that only our souls should hear.

I hope that those who have come to know me over the years will readily see that this is something that is uncharacteristic of me. I take full ownership of the fact that I didn't handle things as I should have. And for that, again, I truly apologize to my quarterback, to my coach, to my team, and to our fans.

We all just want to win. And I truly believe that I have learned a very valuable lesson about just how delicate a balance we must maintain in keeping ourselves and our team focused on the preeminent goal of winning games.

Odell Beckham Jr. might have finished game with a concussion (VIDEO)

The NFL could have another concussion controversy on its hands this week.

New York Giants star Odell Beckham Jr. was able to stay in Sunday night’s game against the Dallas Cowboys despite taking a huge hit in the first quarter that appeared to leave him dazed.

Beckham was leveled by Cowboys safety J.J. Wilcox on Eli Manning's throw over the middle with 2:42 left in the first quarter of the Giants’ 27-26 loss.

And although it wasn't considered a helmet-to-helmet hit, it sure sounded like it.

The catch was ruled incomplete after Cowboys head coach Jason Garrett challenged the call and lost after the review showed Beckham never had possession with the football. Beckham went straight to the bench and appeared to be shaken up, but came straight back into the game after being looked at by the Giants trainers and doctors.

But Beckham tried to wave off their attempt to make him undergo the NFL’s mandatory concussion protocol and they cleared him in surprisingly quick fashion, not even making Beckham go in the locker room for a more in-depth look.

The replay, which took several minutes, allowed Beckham additional time to gather himself and return to the game.

The wide receiver, who did not speak with reporters following the game, was limited to five catches and only 44 yards — his lowest yardage total since last Oct. 19.

Dez Bryant and teammate Tyler Patmon exchange punches in scrimmage fistfight (VIDEO)

Things got a little heated in the Dallas Cowboys training camp when wide receiver Dez Bryant and teammate Tyler Patmon came to blows after a play during a scrimmage Sunday.

The incident started late in the day when Patmon jarred Bryant's helmet loose during the 11-on-11 play and Bryant responded by yanking off Patmon's helmet. Patmon threw a punch and backed away, and Bryant came back with a wild left hook before teammates separated them.

The two continued fighting on the sideline before they were eventually split up by quarterback Tony Romo. 

The Cowboys posted video of the exchange on their website.

Dez Bryant - Tyler Patmon Fight Full Video & Reaction MUST WATCH: http://t.co/egrkA9lI0R pic.twitter.com/oTWsb5zk1X

— Dallas Cowboys (@dallascowboys) August 3, 2015

Romo was eventually able to get Bryant to move to a different part of the sideline, while Patmon stood with players and other team personnel nearby.

When practice ended a few minutes later, head coach Jason Garrett spoke briefly to Bryant, who then walked over to Patmon and hugged him while fans nearby cheered after earlier yelling at Bryant to calm down.

"I got a little bit overheated," Bryant said later. "At the end of the day, that's something that you really need for a team, on a team. I'm just trying to win ballgames."

"If you would’ve seen the play before, I was giving him a little bit of mouth, just talking a whole bunch of stuff to him,'"he said, according to the Dallas Morning News. 

Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, who had already left the practice field, wasn't bothered by the skirmish.

He said he caught footage of it on television and said, "Man, you'd have thought it was CNN featuring some big event going on."

"That's training camp. That's not new," he added. "That's been happening at our training camp for years and years and years."

Charles Haley told 49ers rookies to 'Act like the white guys': Report

Charles Haley was a larger-than-life character back during his NFL playing career and, through all of the antics, was able to win five Super Bowl rings and will be inducted into the Hall of Fame in August.

So it was really no surprise when the five-time Pro-Bowler, who played eight years in San Francisco, was asked to speak to the 49ers rookies back in May.

But what might be a little shocking to some people though is what Haley said to those NFL newbies.

"As far as the rookies, and I know they probably got mad, but I said, 'Why don't you all act like the white guys? You never see them in the paper getting high or hitting people," Haley said, via the San Jose Mercury News. "'Why don't you act like that?' They all looked at me crazy."

The 51-year-old Haley wasn't necessarily trying to be controversial with his comments, he was just trying to get the attention of a group of rookies — Something that's much easier said then done in this world of cell phones, Twitter and Instagram.

"I just did it for the shock value of it," Haley said. "The hardest thing is these guys, they have an attention span of a 5-year-old. I'm not the most gentle and kind person to sit there and deal with that crap. I'm a little more confrontational. I think I got my point across."

Lost in all of Haley's reasoning was the fact that 49ers fullback Bruce Miller, who is white, was arrested two months earlier following an incident with his fiancee and ultimately pleaded no contest to disturbing the peace.

Still, Haley maintained that his main point was that young players need to find the right role models to follow early in their careers. He cited Ronnie Lott, Michael Carter and Joe Montana as some of the players that provided that direction for him early in his career.

"You've got to have people that stand for something, until you're able to lead yourself," said Haley.

Dez Bryant's 'Ray Rice-style' video could jeopardize career: Report

Dez Bryant’s may have more than contract problems to deal with if a video clip reportedly "five times worse than the Ray Rice video" is released. Word is the Dallas Cowboys star's entire NFL career could be in jeopardy if the video he allegedly appears in is as bad as the rumors imply.

The rumored clip of Bryant doing something ‘Ray Rice-worthy’ has reportedly stalled his contract negotiations with the Dallas Cowboys and, according to Terez Owens,  a “source” has informed them the “incriminating video of Dallas Cowboys superstar receiver Dez Bryant is being released today or tomorrow” is to blame.

The Owens site reported:

THE INCRIMINATING VIDEO OF DALLAS COWBOYS SUPERSTAR RECEIVER DEZ BRYANT DOING SOMETHING SUPPOSEDLY RAY RICE WORTHY IS BEING RELEASED TODAY OR TOMORROW. ACCORDING TO OUR SOURCE, THE COWBOYS HAVEN’T DONE A HUGE DEAL WITH DEZ BECAUSE OF CONCERN OVER THE VIDEO. UNFORTUNATELY BRYANT’S TEAM WON’T BE ABLE TO STOP THE TAPE FROM GETTING OUT TO THE PUBLIC. OF COURSE COWBOYS COO STEPHEN JONES DENIES KNOWLEDGE OF SUCH A VIDEO. THIS IS GOING TO BE A GAME CHANGER FOR THE COWBOYS FUTURE. 

It was Later UPDATED: WE’RE BEING TOLD THE COWBOYS HAVE WARNED DEZ THE TAPE IS GOING TO BE RELEASED, AND FROM SOMEONE WHO HAS SEEN IT, THAT IT’S FIVE TIMES WORSE THAN THE RAY RICE VIDEO. HIS FOOTBALL CAREER IS IN JEOPARDY ACCORDING TO OUR SOURCE.

Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com said the Cowboys were afraid this “incident,” if released to the public, would have a “Ray Rice-type of an impact.” But, right now, it's all hearsay and there aren’t any details of what Bryant did. 

Stephen Jones, the COO of the Dallas Cowboys, claims the rumors are untrue and that no such video exists. But if it is real and the footage gets released to the public, it could also have a huge impact on the NFL.

And Bryant? He tweeted this: