Dez Bryant made his somewhat-less-than-triumphant return to the gridiron on Sunday, but he’s come under scrutiny for something he posted on Instagram on October 21, while he was rehabbing his broken foot — this little guy:
Bryant captioned the photo with “My new best friend… Dallas Bryant world,” which would seem to imply that he’s acquired a capuchin monkey as a pet, and named it Dallas, though he hasn’t spoken publicly to clarify his relationship to the primate. That would be great and adorable if he was qualified and prepared to handle the responsibility of owning a capuchin (which is legal by Texas state law, but illegal in some counties), but because Dez is a pro football player, that’s unlikely. So, PETA and other animal rights groups have called Bryant out.
PETA contacted DeSoto (TX) Animal Control to request investigation into #Cowboys WR Dez Bryant’s “possible illegal possession” of a monkey
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) November 2, 2015
PETA’s Brittany Peet: “Monkeys belong in the wild—not (for) football players who acquire exotic animals just to make a splash on Instagram.”
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) November 2, 2015
TMZ also spoke to April Truitt, co-founder of the North American Primate Sanctuary Alliance, who said that Bryant “will [be] begging someone like me to take this animal off his hands. It’s inevitable. I guarantee you this was an expensive purchase and he will live to regret it. I guarantee you.”
(Via Ian Rapoport and TMZ)
