The long-awaited sitdown between Cowboys wide receiver Dez Bryant and team owner Jerry Jones will take place Friday at the team's facility, The Star, in Frisco, Texas. The NFL world is anticipating/wishing for a final decision on Bryant's status with the team.
A quick look at how things stood hours before the meeting, and what might be ahead:
— Bryant was active on Twitter on Thursday with a series of posts, including this lament about media (but actually, he says, he's OK): "I never in my life heard so much media try to destroy a single soul which is very sad but what is so great is that I'm so un F—ing bothered."
IYER: These three contenders make sense if Bryant is cut
More tweets, replies, retweets and acknowledgements followed, but the two most pertinent were:
The take from today.. I’m bothered because I said publicly I’m unbothered That’s a huge wow 😮 take 2 I’m ranting and going off on the media whenever I’m just being normal Dez in my everyday life.. I can only control what I can control is what I tell myself...again unbothered
— Dez Bryant (@DezBryant) April 12, 2018
Yes yes yes very...unbothered.. what I wrote is how I feel.. I’m still getting myself together...that’s the only thing on my mind https://t.co/VtMRl7w23c
— Dez Bryant (@DezBryant) April 12, 2018
— Now that the world knows for sure when and where the meeting will be, there's a good chance there will have a circus atmosphere outside the facility, especially if people decide to take this tweeted advice:
Throw up the XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX In support of @DezBryant. Fans should wear their Dez jersey and come on out to the @thestarinfrisco tomorrow show the @dallascowboys how much they love 88. He’s a Cowboy for LIFE #KEEP88 #THROWUPTHEX
— The NFFC (@GoNFFC) April 13, 2018
— The 29-year-old Bryant is due to make $12.5 million in 2018, and his cap number is $16.5 million. He's coming off a 2017 season in which he had 69 receptions and six touchdowns but also a career-low 12.1-yard average. Speculation about him needing to accept a pay cut or face being released before organized team activities begin Monday have been steady throughout the offseason. Dallas radio station KRLD-FM this week reported on a possible parting.
The NFL world is ready for the speculation to end with the meeting at The Star.
