Over the Line
Thu, 04/29/2010 - 15:05
In the world of professional sports, the risk level is rivaled only by the sky-high salaries. All the more reason to thoroughly scrutinize present and potential investments, right? It’s what many people often refer to as “the cost of doing business” in such a sought-after profession: playing a sport for buckets of cash.
But is there a limit to what players - and prospective players - should tolerate? That’s what a lot of people are wondering after word got out about the Question Heard Around the World, meaning when Dolphins GM Jeff Ireland asked Dallas Cowboys first-round pick Dez Bryant in a pre-draft interview if his mother was a prostitute.
The question was called “insensitive and inappropriate” in an NFL statement. Ireland apologized to Bryant several weeks later when Yahoo! Sports reported on the prostitute pondering. (Better late than never??)
Which side of the line are you on - was Ireland's question a disrespectful abuse of power, or reasonable considering the multi-million dollar contract at stake?
Did he or didn't he? Dolphin GM Jeff Ireland says his question to Dez Bryant about his mom may have been poorly worded, but it made sense within the context of their conversation. Ireland says that Bryant told him that his father was a pimp, and that his mother worked for him.
This explanation comes from Yahoo! Sports:
"The context regarding the line of questioning is important. Sports Illustrated is reporting that Ireland asked Bryant what his father did for a living and that began this line of conversation.
Dez Bryant: "My dad was a pimp."
Jeff Ireland: "What did your mom do [for a living]?"
Bryant: "She worked for my dad." Ireland: "Your mom was a prostitute?"
Bryant: "No, she wasn't a prostitute." Ireland has apologized and Bryant has accepted his apology."
There's just one problem. Bryant claims he never told Ireland that his father was a pimp.