In a recent post, we noted that Dallas Cowboys' Dez Bryant was recently charged with misdemeanor domestic violence after he allegedly assaulted his mother. Bryant had allegedly gotten into an altercation with his brother-in-law before grabbing his mother by the shirt and hair, striking her in the arms and writs, hitting her in the face and pushing her in the chest.
The two have since released a joint statement indicating that Angela Bryant does not want to press charges. To that end, she has filed an Affidavit of Non-Prosecution with the local police department, which may not impact the legal outcome of her complaint, but at least expresses her wishes. She has stated that she feels the issue should be resolved as a family rather than through the criminal law system.
The charges are expected to be dropped soon, but there will still be consequences for the debacle. According to Jerry Jones, the owner and general manager of the Dallas Cowboys, changes are in process because of the incident. Jones met with Bryant last Tuesday, but the details of the meeting haven't been released. Nor is it known what consequences there will be for Bryant this season.
NFL Commission Roger Goodell has noted the problem of excessive DUI and domestic violence arrests among players. Under the League's current policy, a player convicted of domestic violence can be subject to fines and/or suspension.
In our next post, we'll take a look at Goodell's comments about changes to the policy, and what domestic violence defendants can learn from the situation.
Source: ESPN, "Dez Bryant must shape up or ship out," Jean-Jacques Taylor, August 2, 2012
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