Miami Dolphins GM Jeff Ireland asks Dez Bryant if his mother was a prostitute

I know Ireland has apologized for asking the question, but has he said why he asked it??

If it was to try and get a rise out of Bryant, why didn't he apologize at the end of the interview and explain why he did it?? Kinda like Candid Camera... :)

If, for some reason he really wanted to know the answer to that question, what bearing does that have on choosing Bryant in the draft??

The ONLY reason he apologized because of the public backlash. That was not because he really felt he did the wrong thing. There is not "meat" behind that apology. Would have apologized IF this did not get out to the media....I HIGHLY doubt it.
 
Interesting....

NFLPA executive director DeMaurice Smith said Wednesday the treatment of Dallas Cowboys first-round pick Dez Bryant and other prospective draft picks needs to be conducted in a professional manner.

Smith was reacting to Bryant being asked if his mother was a prostitute by Dolphins general manager Jeff Ireland during a predraft visit in March.

Ireland apologized to Bryant on Tuesday after a Yahoo! Sports report said Ireland asked the question.

Dolphins owner Stephen Ross said Wednesday that he will look into Ireland's interview conduct.

"Jeff Ireland has already apologized for questions asked of former Oklahoma State receiver Dez Bryant," Ross said in a statement. "I will be looking into this matter personally and will take appropriate actions if necessary."

Bill Parcells, a former Cowboys coach, who is now an executive with the Dolphins was unavailable for comment. Parcells hired Ireland.

"We need to make sure the men of this league are treated as businessmen," Smith said in a statement. "During interviews, our players and prospective players should never be subjected to discrimination or degradation stemming from the biases or misconceptions held by team personnel. NFL teams cannot have the free reign to ask questions during the interview process which can be categorized as stereotyping or which may bring a personal insult to any player as a man."

NFLPA on Dez Bryant situation: Interviews need to be conducted in professional manner - ESPN Dallas
 
The ONLY reason he apologized because of the public backlash. That was not because he really felt he did the wrong thing. There is not "meat" behind that apology. Would have apologized IF this did not get out to the media....I HIGHLY doubt it.
I knew he was "forced" to apologize, what I was interested in was his reason for asking it. That's what I haven't seen...
 
The bottom line is that athletes do get 'real world' pay. Without going all John Keynes, in a capitalistic society everyone is paid according to supply and demand. If they were not worth the money to these teams, they would not get the contract.

You can lament all you want that athletes are paid higher than teachers, police officers, etc., but the truth is there are many who can do those jobs, and very few who can do what Dez Bryant can do.

It's like Babe Ruth said when asked if he thinks it's right that he's paid more than the President of the United States. Babe's answer was 'I had a better year'.


Sandra

I don't have a problem with what they get paid. But, if I am going to pay a guy millions of guaranteed dollars I want to know every single thing about them. If you don't like what they ask, get another line of work.
 
I knew he was "forced" to apologize, what I was interested in was his reason for asking it. That's what I haven't seen...

From what was said from one of the talking heads this morning...they actually ask these type of questions because they ALREADY KNOW the answer to see if the kid is gonna "fess up" and admit it. You know, to find out if he is some kind of habitual liar or something. We have 3 sports talk show radio host that played either professional football, basketball and baseball and they pretty much all said the same.
 
I don't have a problem with what they get paid. But, if I am going to pay a guy millions of guaranteed dollars I want to know every single thing about them. If you don't like what they ask, get another line of work.

AGAIN, you are going back to money. People just assume, that just because they are getting paid alot of money, you can do, or say or act any way they want.:rolleyes:

Being an NFL player is a job....period. No different than a teacher, a cop, a doctor or a building custodian. And the interview process...REGARDLESS of how much the job is paying, has to be handled in a PROFESSIONAL MANNER. No IFs, ANDs or BUTs about it.
 
Only days after he was forced to apologize for using the term "Polack" while engaged in on-air banter with colleague Ron Jaworski, former Lions G.M. Matt Millen has returned to the ESPN airwaves (so much for a suspension) to weigh in regarding the question that was posed prior to the draft by Dolphins G.M. Jeff Ireland to receiver Dez Bryant.

Millen's take?



Millen supported his belief by explaining that, in a pre-draft interview, "there are no questions that are out of bounds" because, on a football field, "there are no questions that are out of bounds."

Matt Millen enters the Dez Bryant fray | ProFootballTalk.com

He's not the only one. i've already heard a few ex players over the radio and on espn that "this is nothing new and that much worse has been asked and said in these interviews and on the field of course. this isn't just any interview for any regular job out there". after hearing some of these guys that know more of what goes on behind doors and in these locker rooms than any of us do around here, this isn't that far from the usual.still, it would bother me less if this was more of a question about the player himself. my opinion is keep the family out of the questions.asking player for example if he's a drug addict is ok with me than asking if his momma is a hooker. i still find that last one hard to swallow. some have also said that it depends in what context it was used. i don't know what to say about that.
 
A possible explanation on the line of questioning:

Two sources familiar with the situation contend that Ireland's question was nothing more than the logical follow-up to comments Bryant had made about his family. According to the sources, Ireland began the meeting by asking Bryant, 21, about his upbringing and his relationship with his siblings. Then he asked what Bryant's father did for a living when Bryant was growing up. The following exchange allegedly ensued:

"My dad was a pimp."

"What did your mom do [for a living]?"

"She worked for my dad."

"Your mom was a prostitute?"

"No, she wasn't a prostitute."

Jeff Ireland's prostitute question to Dez Bryant not worth outrage - Jim Trotter - SI.com
 

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