Former NFL star Dez Bryant’s attorney alleges that the three-time Pro Bowl player was targeted and set up to create a viral moment after his altercation with 19-year-old Noah Reyes in a parking lot last month.
Bryant hired high-powered attorney Levi McCathern to represent him following his altercation with Reyes. The former Dallas Cowboys star was cited for assault by contact, a Class C misdemeanor in Texas. McCathern alleged that Bryant was targeted and that Reyes drove recklessly to provoke a reaction.
“Dez didn’t start this. He was targeted by someone who wanted a reaction, and they got one,” McCathern told OutKick in a statement.
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“Here’s what actually happened. Dez was driving to dinner when Mr. Reyes and his crew started driving recklessly around him. They cut Dez off. They slammed on their brakes in front of him. That isn’t just Dez’s account. Multiple people have come forward to say they saw Mr. Reyes and his crew driving recklessly and putting lives at risk on a public road.”
McCathern alleged that when Reyes failed to provoke a reaction from Bryant, he threatened to shoot him.
“What is a person supposed to do with that? Between what Mr. Reyes was saying and what Dez saw him doing, Dez believed he was in real danger. He had no way of knowing whether there was a gun. No one in that moment would,” McCathern said.
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“Dez has been consistent from the very beginning about what he experienced, and his fear came from one place: he believed his life was being threatened.”
McCathern alleged that witnesses have come forward to back up Bryant’s account of the altercation and that Reyes has engaged in similar behavior toward others. He alleged that the confrontation was staged rather than accidental.
“Based on what they’ve told us, we believe this was never an accident. It was set up to provoke Dez into a public confrontation and create a viral moment, on camera.”
“The video going around doesn’t show the driving, and it doesn’t show the threat. It shows exactly what it was meant to show: the reaction. We said the full story would look very different. It does.”
Bryant is due in court for a hearing in the case on Dec. 2. The three-time Pro Bowler played in the NFL for nine seasons, spending eight with the Cowboys and his final one with the Baltimore Ravens.
In 119 games, Bryant caught 537 passes for 7,506 yards and 75 touchdowns.