My Mom is not a prostitute. She is a nice lady.
This question would not be asked of me in a normal interview. Too bad Dez Bryant wasn't in a normal interview.
If you don't know what I am talking about, you should really come out of your cave more often, but here is the thumbnail. During the NFL combine, the Dolphins were interviewing Dez Bryant, somehow the issue of Bryant's mother came up. Bryant says that Jeff Ireland, Dolphins GM, asked if his mother was ever a prostitute. The Dolphins claim that Bryant told them that his father was a "pimp" and his mother worked for him. Bryant denies it went this way, instead painting the picture that this was more of a straightforward question.
Anyway you slice it, Bryant was asked if his Mother was a street walker. He remained calm, answered no, and the interview continued. Afterwards, Bryant told the media of the question, and the kimchi hit the fan.
Since then, people have called for Jeff Ireland to be fired. Others claimed that Ireland was a world class A-hole. Mike Ditka said that Ireland needs to be whacked in the head.
Ireland has apologized, calling the question "poor judgement" on his part. Now, Dez Bryant's mother wants an apology as well.
Just another day in the politically correct country we all live in.
Here is the thing, Ireland didn't do a damn thing wrong.
This is Jeff Ireland's job.
In todays NFL, your rap sheet is just as important as your stat sheet. Blame Roger Goodell if you want. Players are being suspended without even being arrested. You can no longer draft a guy with off the field baggage without a second thought.
Call me crazy, but a players immediate family having multiple run-ins with the law is a problem. This isn't just me, studies show that children that have been around crime their entire life, are more apt to committing crimes later on. My father has smoked cigarettes since I was born. I know the dangers of smoking. Yet, it doesn't bother me when people light up around me. Why should it? I have seen it my entire life.
Dez Bryant's mother is no saint. Since '08 she has been arrested twice for lying to police and another time for possessing and selling crack. Does this sound like a role model for someone that you would be willing to hand over a ten million dollar signing bonus? It's not like Ireland had no grounds for the question. If Dez Bryant has been around this kind of environment his entire life, the thinking is that it all becomes white noise to him.
Put yourself in the shoes of a GM. Don't you owe it to yourself and your employer to find out every single thing about a NFL prospect before you throw millions of dollars at a player? Does the player still smoke weed? Does he hang out with childhood friends that are on the wrong side of the law?
This is the NFL. Teams go from worst to first every season. The turnover in this league is crazy. GM's can't miss with picks. Who cares if a guy is incredibly talented, if he is arrested and in the state pen, you will be fired. Man who drafted Mike Vick? Fired. Man who drafted PacMan Jones? Fired. General Managers jobs are on the line every draft.
Do you think the Falcons wished they had asked Mike Vick if he hung out with his old crew that just so happened to be involved in dog fighting? I doubt Mike Vick would have said yes, but maybe the Falcons don't like how he answers the question. So they stay at pick 5 and draft LT and then take Drew Brees in the second round. Vick goes on to be a Charger and lead his life of crime. The Falcons have one of the most dangerous backfield combos and never have to rebuild their franchise.
See why asking really hard questions could matter?
Who cares if Dez Bryant gets pissed? Tell me where else on earth someone can be kicked out of college and then still walk into a job on the first day and cash a check that is eight numbers long? If Dez Bryant doesn't like the question than he can take a walk. Go work at a car wash where the manager there doesn't care about your background.
Please spare me the "Dez Bryant has done nothing wrong" crap. At first I was on his side. Now looking at the facts, maybe the NCAA was onto something. Anyone else notice what apparel company Dez Bryant signed with? Under Armour. What company does Deion Sanders endorse? Under Armour. Whaaaaaa?! It gets better. Deion Sanders agent is Eugene Parker. What agent did Dez Bryant sign with? Eugene Parker. Anyone want to bet me what agent signs Deion Sanders protoge, Noel Devine next season? I haven't even touched on the fact that Bryant was reported to always be late to practice and games. Sounds like a real worker. I bet he is never late again. Oops.
Let me put it this way. If two years from now, Joe Haden is suspended for 4 games for weed and TJ Ward is out of the league for multiple arrests, a lot of people are going to ask Tom Heckert why didn't he do his job? Those people would be right, because sometimes people need to be asked tough questions.