{"id":348589,"date":"2011-03-29T22:32:20","date_gmt":"2011-03-29T22:32:20","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.ghanamma.net\/2011\/03\/29\/dallas-wr-bryant-faces-2-suits-for-861k-ap\/"},"modified":"2011-03-29T22:32:20","modified_gmt":"2011-03-29T22:32:20","slug":"dallas-wr-bryant-faces-2-suits-for-861k-ap","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2011\/03\/29\/dallas-wr-bryant-faces-2-suits-for-861k-ap\/","title":{"rendered":"Dallas WR Bryant faces 2 suits for $861K (AP)"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

DALLAS (AP)\u2014In the 18 months before Dez Bryant<\/a>(notes)<\/a><\/span> signed with the Dallas
\nCowboys<\/a>, he apparently spent like a superstar.<\/p>\n

He bought at least seven men\u2019s watches and two more for women. He paid
\n$65,500 for a diamond cross made of white gold and $60,000 for a custom charm.
\nHe ordered a set of dog tags made of white gold and diamonds, and all sorts of
\nother rings, earrings, bracelets and necklaces in various shades of gold, nearly
\nall crammed with diamonds.<\/p>\n

And finally, according to a pair of Texas lawsuits, Bryant ponied up for
\ntickets to Cowboys and Mavericks playoff games, and to see LeBron James play. He
\nalso acquired some cash, at least $35,000.<\/p>\n

Bryant got it all through a line of credit set up by his adviser, the
\nlawsuits say, all with the understanding that he\u2019d settle up once he signed his
\nfirst pro contract.<\/p>\n

But eight months after striking a deal that included $8.5 million guaranteed
\nfrom the Cowboys, Bryant is facing two claims from people who say they are tired
\nof waiting to get paid. A man from the Dallas-Fort Worth area, and a New York
\ncompany, are seeking a total of $861,350, plus interest and attorneys fees.<\/p>\n

Bryant\u2019s attorney, state Sen. Royce West, declined comment on the specifics
\nin the lawsuits, calling them \u201csheer allegations.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat we\u2019re seeing is Dez Bryant being singled out,\u201d West said. \u201cThere
\nare lawsuits. They will be resolved.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bryant is a dazzling receiver and punt returner, but his character and
\nmaturity have often been questioned. That\u2019s widely considered the reason he went
\nfrom a likely top-10 pick in last year\u2019s draft to No. 24.<\/p>\n

Since he joined the Cowboys, he\u2019s made plenty of off-the-field headlines. He
\nspent $54,896 on a single meal, and then there was the Dolphins executive who
\ngot punished for asking in a pre-draft interview whether Bryant\u2019s mother was a
\nprostitute.<\/p>\n

Just last week, Bryant got into a ruckus at an upscale Dallas mall. A
\nshouting match with an off-duty police officer, stemming from him and his
\nfriends wearing their pants too low, led to him being banned from the premises
\nfor a few days.<\/p>\n

The latest revelation, about debt Bryant ran up before he was drafted,
\nraises the question of how much more he\u2019s spent since then.<\/p>\n

Cowboys spokesman Rich Dalrymple said the team had no comment.<\/p>\n

The bigger of the lawsuits involves Eleow Hunt, a jeweler and ticket broker
\nfrom suburban Colleyville. He is seeking repayment for $588,500 in jewelry,
\n$15,850 for tickets and $11,000 in loans.<\/p>\n

Hunt said in the lawsuit that a buy-now, pay-later system was set up by
\nDavid Wells, Bryant\u2019s adviser and a co-defendant in the case. Hunt said he\u2019s
\nknown Wells for more than 10 years, and that they used a similar arrangements
\nthe year before with Wells\u2019 cousin\u2014Michael Crabtree<\/a>(notes)<\/a>,<\/span> the standout receiver at
\nTexas Tech who was a first-round pick of the San Francisco 49ers<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cMr. Crabtree ended up doing exactly what he said he would do, so my client
\nfelt pretty comfortable,\u201d said Hunt\u2019s attorney, Beth Ann Blackwood.<\/p>\n

Bryant and Wells signed 17 receipts from January 2009 to July 2010, the
\nlawsuit said. The longest wait between purchases was 2 1\/2 months.<\/p>\n

The bills ranged from $15,500 to $71,500, although Bryant also rang up
\n$94,000 on two receipts in a single day.<\/p>\n

The haul included six men\u2019s watches and two women\u2019s watches, and a variety
\nof men\u2019s and women\u2019s diamond earrings. There were bracelets, rings and
\nnecklaces, with themes ranging from skulls to religion (three diamond crosses, a
\ndiamond Jesus medallion and a rosary made from diamonds and palladium).<\/p>\n

All that\u2019s been paid was $15,000 of the original loan amount, Hunt\u2019s lawsuit
\nsays.<\/p>\n

Hunt originally filed suit in September. Hunt didn\u2019t try publicizing it
\nbecause he continued calling Bryant in hopes of working something out.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy client was basically being nice,\u201d Blackwood said. \u201cHe deals with a
\nlot of professional athletes, and he\u2019s not in the habit of trying to raise a
\nfuss or have a high profile. He genuinely liked Dez Bryant and thought he would
\ncome through. \u2026 My client\u2019s finally decided Dez doesn\u2019t care, he\u2019s not going
\nto keep his word. My client is pretty angry.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hunt\u2019s suit was amended last week, before the mall incident. As for the
\ntiming, Blackwood said, \u201cWe didn\u2019t approach the firestorm. The firestorm
\napproached us.\u201d<\/p>\n

The other suit, filed Friday, was by a New York jeweler, A+A Diamonds, doing
\nbusiness as Rafaello and Co.<\/p>\n

Bryant signed four invoices with them in the four months spanning January to
\nMay 2010. His tab was $267,000, and he\u2019s paid $21,000.<\/p>\n

There was a single invoice for $144,000. His purchases included the $60,000
\ncharm and another diamond charm for $15,000, a $40,000 diamond watch and diamond
\nbracelets that cost $23,000 and $10,000.<\/p>\n

The jeweler\u2019s attorney, Mike Bower, said \u201cwe are working with Mr. Bryant\u2019s
\ncounsel to work out a resolution.\u201d<\/p>\n

Because some of the receipts date to Bryant\u2019s time at Oklahoma State, the
\nNCAA could become involved\u2014again.<\/p>\n

Bryant was suspended from much of the 2009 season, his last, because he lied
\nto the NCAA about having had a meal with Deion Sanders. The meal itself was OK,
\nbut the cover-up wasn\u2019t.<\/p>\n

Bryant allegedly bought $185,500 of jewelry from Hunt before he was
\nsuspended in October 2009.<\/p>\n

NCAA spokeswoman Stacey Osburn said Tuesday that in any case involving
\neligibility of a player after he\u2019s left school the questions are whether school
\nknew \u201cor did they have the processes and compliance and monitoring that they
\nshould have known.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is news to us,\u201d said Kevin Fite, Oklahoma State\u2019s head of athletic
\ncompliance. \u201cWe\u2019ll review it, consult with the NCAA and take whatever actions
\nare deemed to be appropriate.\u201d<\/p>\n

Associated Press writers Jim Vertuno in Austin and Schuyler Dixon in Dallas
\ncontributed.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p>\n

Excerpt from:
\nDallas WR Bryant faces 2 suits for $861K (AP)<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

DALLAS (AP)\u2014In the 18 months before Dez Bryant (notes) signed with the Dallas Cowboys , he apparently spent like a superstar. He bought at least seven men\u2019s watches and two more for women. 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