Bryant's attorney: Cowboys WR not guilty of crime

[July 25, 2012]  DALLAS (AP) -- The attorney for Cowboys wide receiver Dez Bryant asked prosecutors Tuesday not to pursue charges against his client, who was arrested after allegedly attacking his mother during an argument.

"Did a family disagreement occur? Yes," attorney Royce West said. "Did Dez Bryant commit family violence against his mother? No."

Police arrested Bryant on July 16, two days after his mother, Angela Bryant, called 911 to complain her son was assaulting her. Authorities said they found her with a swollen wrist and thumb and bruising on her upper arms. Angela Bryant allegedly told authorities Dez Bryant hit her in the face with his ball cap and tore her shirt.

On a 911 tape released by authorities, Angela Bryant is heard saying that she wanted to "put an end to it."

"I can't keep letting him do this," she said on the tape.

Angela Bryant has since submitted an affidavit asking prosecutors not to pursue the case. Family violence is a misdemeanor punishable by up to a year in jail and a $4,000 fine.

Bryant sat next to his mother at a press conference that lasted about two minutes. Neither spoke or took questions.

"I would love to make a statement, but I can't," Dez Bryant said as he left. "I can't."

Instead, West read a statement calling any dispute "a family matter that can be worked out through counseling."

"They ask that there not be a rush to judgment concerning their family," West said.

Prosecutors have not announced whether they will pursue charges against Bryant and declined comment Tuesday. The NFL and the Cowboys declined to comment.

The talented Bryant has run into trouble since before he entered the NFL. Drafted by the Cowboys in the first round, Bryant had nearly his entire last year of college at Oklahoma State wiped out by an NCAA suspension for lying about having dinner with Deion Sanders. He ran up hundreds of thousands of dollars in bills on game tickets and jewelry -- and was sued by people who said they were creditors.

Last year, he was kicked out of an upscale Dallas mall for wearing sagging pants. In January, he was reportedly involved in a fight with the rapper Lil Wayne at a Miami nightclub.

West has dismissed what he called Bryant's "youthful indiscretions" and said he was trying to move forward.

Bryant's Cowboys teammates have expressed support after his arrest. His coach at Oklahoma State, Mike Gundy, said Tuesday at Big 12 Media Days that Bryant was an "unbelievable talent" and trying to do the right thing.

"But it saddens me to hear negative things come out about Dez, and hopefully he can get it together," Gundy said. "When he was at Oklahoma State, we were with him all the time every step of the way. We never really had many issues with him."

[Associated Press; By NOMAAN MERCHANT]

AP Sports Writer Stephen Hawkins contributed to this report.

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