As Cowboys receiver Dez Bryant prepares for a regular season in which, if he stays healthy, he can make the right kind of headlines, he is wrapping up an offseason in which he made the wrong kind of headlines. Though he has yet to be arrested, he continues to exude a sense of financial irresponsibility, with lawsuits arising from a bad habit of buying things without paying for them.
The red ink has gotten so thick that, according to Clarence E. Hill, Jr., of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Bryant may need a new contract in order to get his head above water.
Unfortunately, Bryant’s contract can’t be renegotiated for at least one more season. Under the prior CBA, long-term rookie deals couldn’t be restructured or extended until the player has completed two years of service. (Under the new CBA, rookies must live with their deals for three years.)
The fact that Bryant needs money demonstrates how much money he has wasted. He earned $2.84 million in 2010, and he’ll get a base salary of $1.1 million in 2011. He also received a $1 million roster bonus after the lockout ended.