Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Dez Bryant seems to have been nothing but one headline after another since Miami Dolphins GM Jeff Ireland asked him if his mom was a hooker prior to last year’s NFL draft. And while his coaches and teammates have stood up for him and reinforced his character, he still seems to have the worst shopping problems in the history of mankind.
Back in March, Bryant and some friends were ejected from the NorthPark Center upscale shopping mall in Dallas for their baggy drawers, and a week later he was targeted in various lawsuits after he allegedly abused a line of credit that was established for him by an adviser. Bryant once again addressed the two lawsuits (for more than $861,000 combined) over this past weekend, telling reporters that everything has been handled.
“I have a handle on it and it’s done,” Bryant told The Associated Press during an appearance Saturday at a department store in Tulsa, Okla. “It’s in the past and I’m ready to go ahead from here.” (ESPN)
Except that he means the opposite.
While Bryant may want to put his money woes behind him, he still owes Colleyville jeweler and ticket broker Eleow Hunt a little more than $600,000 for jewelry, tickets and personal loans, attorney Beth Ann Blackwood told ESPN Dallas on Sunday night.
The lawsuit states Bryant, who was a sophomore at Oklahoma State when the spending spree began, was supposed to repay Hunt when he signed either an NFL or promotional contract, whichever came first. Bryant and adviser David Wells signed 17 receipts from January 2009 to July 2010, the lawsuit said. The longest wait between purchases was 2½ months.
Bryant plans to pay off this debt when the lockout ends and he can collect his $1 million bonus. But just for poops and giggles, can someone remind me what Bryant blew all that cash on?
He bought at least seven men’s watches and two more for women. He paid $65,500 for a diamond cross made of white gold and $60,000 for a custom charm. He ordered a set of dog tags made of white gold and diamonds, and all sorts of other rings, earrings, bracelets and necklaces in various shades of gold, nearly all crammed with diamonds.
And finally, according to a pair of Texas lawsuits, Bryant ponied up for tickets to Cowboys and Mavericks playoff games, and to see LeBron James play. He also acquired some cash, at least $35,000. (ABC)
In related news, I splurged and got myself a Starkist Tuna Creations for lunch today. I know, I spoil myself too much.
