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Dez Bryant, an all-American wide receiver at Oklahoma State, was declared ineligible by the university Wednesday for failing to disclose to the N.C.A.A the full details of contact he had with the former N.F.L. player Deion Sanders.
Dez Bryant did not fully disclose that he had contact with a former N.F.L. player.
According to an Oklahoma State statement, Bryant, a junior, did not tell the N.C.A.A. the full details of his interaction with a former N.F.L. player not affiliated with the university. Sanders said in a telephone interview that he was the player.
Oklahoma State said it had begun the process to apply for Bryant’s reinstatement. The No. 15 Cowboys open Big 12 play Saturday at Texas A&M.
Bryant was ruled ineligible for violating N.C.A.A. bylaw 10.1 (d), which prohibits “knowingly furnishing the N.C.A.A. or the individual’s institution false or misleading information concerning the individual’s involvement in or knowledge of matters relevant to a possible violation of an N.C.A.A. regulation.”
Sanders said the suspension stemmed from a day he and Bryant spent together last summer. They met at an athletics center in Frisco, Tex., and later had dinner at Sanders’s home in Prosper, Tex. Sanders said the N.C.A.A. asked Bryant if he had ever been in Sanders’s home and Bryant said no.
Bryant could not be reached for comment through the university, but he said in its statement: “I made a mistake by not being entirely truthful when meeting with the N.C.A.A. I sincerely regret my mistake and apologize to my teammates, coaches, O.S.U. fans and the N.C.A.A.”
Coach Mike Gundy said in the statement, “We are certainly disappointed, but we are moving forward as we would with any challenge during the season.”
A spokesman for the N.C.A.A. said it could not comment, other than to say that Oklahoma State had not yet submitted the reinstatement request to its office.
Sanders said Bryant had visited him to help with his youth camp and to mentor younger players. Sanders said he and Bryant visited an athletics center called Fieldhouse USA, where Sanders met with a group of business partners to consider using it for Prime U, his organization for training players in preparation for the N.F.L. Sanders said he did not enter into a business agreement with Fieldhouse USA.
At Fieldhouse USA, Sanders said, he and Bryant jogged together before leaving for lunch. Later, Sanders said, Bryant and his girlfriend ate dinner at Sanders’s house with him and his wife.
Sanders said Gary Oliver, director of operations at Fieldhouse USA, called the N.C.A.A. to report a violation involving Bryant’s interaction with Sanders.
But Oliver said that although an N.C.A.A. representative visited Fieldhouse USA in June looking for Sanders and Bryant, Oliver did not call the association about them. “Deion saying that we called anyone is absolutely a false statement,” said Oliver, a former college assistant coach.
Sanders said the N.C.A.A. had told him it was investigating his relationship with Bryant. Sanders said he reiterated that he had only mentored Bryant and had never worked out with him at Fieldhouse USA..
“The kid panicked, man,” Sanders said. “He panicked. He thought it was a violation to come over to my house and it isn’t. He said no, that he hadn’t been over here, and I said, yeah, he had been over here. I don’t lie, and he panicked.”
Sanders said he was asked two years ago to mentor Bryant because of his difficult past; his mother served time in prison on a drug-sale conviction. Sanders said that before he started mentoring Bryant, he called an Oklahoma State assistant for approval.
“When Dez is late to class, the coach calls me,” Sanders said. “When Dez doesn’t show up for this, the coach calls me.”
Last season, Bryant had 87 receptions for 1,480 yards and 19 touchdowns and scored twice on punt returns. This season, he has a team-high 17 catches for 323 yards and 4 touchdowns despite missing one game and part of another because of injuries.
Dez Bryant did not fully disclose that he had contact with a former N.F.L. player.
According to an Oklahoma State statement, Bryant, a junior, did not tell the N.C.A.A. the full details of his interaction with a former N.F.L. player not affiliated with the university. Sanders said in a telephone interview that he was the player.
Oklahoma State said it had begun the process to apply for Bryant’s reinstatement. The No. 15 Cowboys open Big 12 play Saturday at Texas A&M.
Bryant was ruled ineligible for violating N.C.A.A. bylaw 10.1 (d), which prohibits “knowingly furnishing the N.C.A.A. or the individual’s institution false or misleading information concerning the individual’s involvement in or knowledge of matters relevant to a possible violation of an N.C.A.A. regulation.”
Sanders said the suspension stemmed from a day he and Bryant spent together last summer. They met at an athletics center in Frisco, Tex., and later had dinner at Sanders’s home in Prosper, Tex. Sanders said the N.C.A.A. asked Bryant if he had ever been in Sanders’s home and Bryant said no.
Bryant could not be reached for comment through the university, but he said in its statement: “I made a mistake by not being entirely truthful when meeting with the N.C.A.A. I sincerely regret my mistake and apologize to my teammates, coaches, O.S.U. fans and the N.C.A.A.”
Coach Mike Gundy said in the statement, “We are certainly disappointed, but we are moving forward as we would with any challenge during the season.”
A spokesman for the N.C.A.A. said it could not comment, other than to say that Oklahoma State had not yet submitted the reinstatement request to its office.
Sanders said Bryant had visited him to help with his youth camp and to mentor younger players. Sanders said he and Bryant visited an athletics center called Fieldhouse USA, where Sanders met with a group of business partners to consider using it for Prime U, his organization for training players in preparation for the N.F.L. Sanders said he did not enter into a business agreement with Fieldhouse USA.
At Fieldhouse USA, Sanders said, he and Bryant jogged together before leaving for lunch. Later, Sanders said, Bryant and his girlfriend ate dinner at Sanders’s house with him and his wife.
Sanders said Gary Oliver, director of operations at Fieldhouse USA, called the N.C.A.A. to report a violation involving Bryant’s interaction with Sanders.
But Oliver said that although an N.C.A.A. representative visited Fieldhouse USA in June looking for Sanders and Bryant, Oliver did not call the association about them. “Deion saying that we called anyone is absolutely a false statement,” said Oliver, a former college assistant coach.
Sanders said the N.C.A.A. had told him it was investigating his relationship with Bryant. Sanders said he reiterated that he had only mentored Bryant and had never worked out with him at Fieldhouse USA..
“The kid panicked, man,” Sanders said. “He panicked. He thought it was a violation to come over to my house and it isn’t. He said no, that he hadn’t been over here, and I said, yeah, he had been over here. I don’t lie, and he panicked.”
Sanders said he was asked two years ago to mentor Bryant because of his difficult past; his mother served time in prison on a drug-sale conviction. Sanders said that before he started mentoring Bryant, he called an Oklahoma State assistant for approval.
“When Dez is late to class, the coach calls me,” Sanders said. “When Dez doesn’t show up for this, the coach calls me.”
Last season, Bryant had 87 receptions for 1,480 yards and 19 touchdowns and scored twice on punt returns. This season, he has a team-high 17 catches for 323 yards and 4 touchdowns despite missing one game and part of another because of injuries.
I didn't see anyone clamoring to declare Crabtree ineligible when he basically lived with Sanders last year!
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