Dak Prescott: Dez Bryant's release 'not my decision'
By Jeremy Bergman
Around The NFL Writer
Published: April 15, 2018 at 09:56 a.m.
Updated: April 15, 2018 at 10:10 a.m.
Dez Bryant was irked Friday night following his release for, among other things, not being named captain during his nine-year tenure in Dallas.
The former Cowboys receiver told NFL Network's Jane Slater regarding the "Garrett Guys" who he claims are to blame partially for his release, "Little do they know is, you know, they can wear that 'C' all they want to, but in that locker room ... they know who they communicate with. Everybody knows where the real love is at. I'm not throwing anybody under the bus, but that's the difference between me and them."
On Saturday night, Dak Prescott, one of those players donning the "C", spoke out on Bryant's departure.
"Yeah, obviously it's sad news. That's like a brother to me," Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott said at his inaugural Women's Clinic in Dallas, per the Cowboys' website. "You can put the football stuff behind you. What he meant to me as a person, what he meant to me as a brother. It's tough to see him go."
Prescott confirmed to reporters that he talked with Bryant following Friday's news and "traded text messages" with him.
Unconfirmed reports circulated after Dez's cut that Prescott was one of the main voices in the Dallas locker room advocating for Bryant's release. The third-year quarterback denied as much when asked if the Cowboys front office approached him for his opinion on the matter.
"I'm in my second year," Prescott reported. "As much as you want to say, 'I want a say-so' or this and that, those guys get paid a lot more than me. That's what those guys get paid to do. That's not my decision. I didn't really know if it was happening. I can't say I thought it would fully happen."
Despite Bryant's decrease in production over the years, the quarterback will miss the veteran presence, who leaves a wide receiver room now populated by the likes of Allen Hurns, Terrance Williams, Deonte Thompson and Cole Beasley. It's hard to replace a franchise legend and Dallas' all-time leader in touchdown receptions (73), something Prescott is well aware of.
"He's a great player. He did a lot of great things for us," Prescott said of Bryant. "He was a guy, man-to-man, you go to. At this point, we've got to figure that out with the guys we've got I'm sure we'll go after guys in the draft or free agency. All I can do is continue to get better at my job.
"Dez is going to be a hard guy to replace. He's a talented guy. He will be missed."
