Hazing and bullying has been a tradition in the National Football League (NFL) for decades. Receiver of the Dallas Cowboys, Dez Bryant, recently revealed that he was a victim during his rookie year and had to spend $55,000 on dinner at one point.
In a report by Fox Sports, Bryant shared on "Back of the Shop" that he was compelled to pay for an expensive dinner at Pappas Bros. Steakhouse. Several other Cowboys players were with him when he treated them for a total of $55,000. Bryant was drafted during the first round in 2010 and signed a rookie deal with the Dallas Cowboys for five years worth $11.8 million, $8.6 million of which was guaranteed.
He said, "The I way I look at that is some guys do it just to be [expletive]. I paid $55,000 for a dinner, and it struck me the wrong way. I could've easily went off on every last one of them, but I didn't. I kept myself together, and I wanted to change that. So you know what I did, I went out there and did my thing. Now they're allowing me to call the shots."
Yahoo! Sports writes about an NFL scandal that erupted in October 2013 when Jonathan Martin of the Miami Dolphins immediately left the team after he alleged that he was bullied by a teammate. Based on the complaint, Martin was harassed several times by fellow teammates, which also triggered other rookies and players to share about their own terrors in the locker room during initiation period.
Bryant added, "I love the game. I don't even think about the money until it's time. A lot of guys aren't like that. All they care about is the check that will keep them moving."
Bryant also talked about the possibility of extending his contract. He said that his love for the game far outweighs the financial compensation. He said, "Everybody's mind is different."
"Everybody's got a different way of expressing themselves to the game." He concluded, "Like I tell a lot of guys in that locker room, [expletive] the talent - confidence and effort, that's all you really need. You've got to believe."