BY: DM
Published 1 week ago
Dez Bryant didn’t hold back when he saw the NFL’s Pride Month push pop up on his feed. The former Cowboys star took to X with a series of posts that lit up timelines — and stirred debate.
The NFL kicked off Pride Month by rolling out a 30-second clip that layered phrases like “Football is gay,” “Football is queer” and “Football is transgender” over highlight-reel footage, closing with “Football is for everyone.” That replayed a campaign first seen in 2021 and was meant to underscore inclusivity, but Dez saw it differently.
Dez Bryant did not like the NFL’s Pride Month campaign.
Bryant is apparently not a fan of inclusion in professional sports. After the NFL released a video spotlighting Pride Month, the former athlete crashed out. “Football is gay. Football is queer. Football is transgender… These are wild statements to make. Excuse my silliness,” he wrote on X (formerly known as Twitter). “I’m going to proudly tell my boys football is none of these things. I have nothing against Gays, but this is far from right.”
His words dropped hard on the heels of the NFL’s colorful social-media avatars and rainbow-tinted logos, and they instantly racked up replies ranging from applause to eye rolls. Not stopping there, Dez doubled down on his unwarranted anger. “It’s gay players in the NFL, but forcing it in people’s faces, especially children, can send the wrong message,” he continued. “Football is a real community, like the gay community. Imagine telling gays they have to advocate for straight people. They probably would have a problem.”
Reactions to Dez Bryant’s remarks were split.
Online, reactions split sharply. Some fans cheered Dez for “keeping it real,” while others criticized him for lacking empathy. “Dez kept it real. Nobody’s saying people can’t live how they want, but not everything gotta be a campaign,” an X user wrote. Others suggested that Bryant is the last person who should be trying to dictate what counts as a positive message. “You knocked the sonic rings out of your mama. Imagine you trying to tell anyone ANYTHING,” they exclaimed.
The former NFL star was arrested in 2012 for assaulting his mother. Police documents detail that Bryant grabbed his mother by the shirt and hair, slapped her with a baseball cap, and pushed her in the chest when she asked him to leave, leaving her with bruising on both arms and swelling in her wrist, per the NFL.
According to Vice, Bryant was also accused of assaulting his girlfriend, Ilyne Nash, in a Walmart parking lot. The NFL obtained a police report detailing the alleged 2011 incident, though it never named Bryant directly. According to the report, a caller told police they saw a Black man dragging a Black woman between vehicles. By the time officers arrived, the scene was empty. Shortly after, a white Bentley registered to Bryant pulled up with the athlete and Nash inside. Nash confirmed she hadn’t been harmed, and authorities ultimately concluded no crime had occurred.
While Bryant’s sentiments are seemingly set in stone, others are happy that the NFL is being supportive. So far, there is no word on whether or not the former football star has received pushback from the league about his comments.
Do you agree with Dez Bryant’s take on the NFL’s Pride Month campaign? Comment below!
