To say that Dez Bryant had a rough upbringing in his hometown of Lufkin, Texas would be a huge understatement. According to him, times were beyond tough during his childhood, and he was frequently subjected to drug activity and child abuse right inside his own home.
The Cowboys wide receiver appears on the cover of the new Rolling Stone—the same issue that features a really good but weird story on Russell Wilson—and in his cover story, he talks at length about his youth. He admits that his mother was actively involved in the drug game and also says that it wasn't uncommon to see "crackheads" inside the house that he shared with her.
"Crackheads in my house, potato chips and peanut butter for dinner—my life was [expletive] all the way to college," he tells Rolling Stone. "I'm talking at least 15 people. You'd be lucky if you had a Hot Pocket for dinner. We used to eat at Salvation Army on the regular, when the neighbors couldn't help us out."
He also mentions that his mother would take her frustrations out on him when she struggled to make ends meet.
"The drug game wasn't going how it should go, I guess, and she would get mad and take it out on me," Bryant says. "Hit me with a pipe and threw a car amp at me—slashed me across the back…We never, ever had that guidance, as far as report cards and homework. We just did whatever the hell we wanted to do."
Elsewhere, Bryant admits to stealing the first football equipment he ever owned and discusses the perception that people have of him. We're sure we will have more details to share once the full story hits. But so far, it already sounds like a story that will be worth checking out.
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[via Dallas Morning News]
