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Dez Bryant attorney alleges ex-NFL star’s assault accuser set him up: ‘He was targeted’
Dez Bryant’s lawyer alleges that a 19-year-old who accused the former NFL player of assault deliberately provoked him after recognising him on a road in Southlake, Texas. The claim offers Bryant’s account of an altercation that led to an assault-by-contact citation, while the accuser has previously said Bryant was the aggressor.
Bryant’s attorney, Levi McCathern, says witnesses reported reckless driving and that the teenager threatened to shoot Bryant; he argues video of Bryant confronting the teen and knocking a phone from his hand omits those events. The teenager, Noah Reyes, did not immediately respond to the latest allegations. Bryant is due in court for a hearing next month.
In short
- Bryant’s lawyer says the accuser provoked the confrontation.
- Bryant received an assault-by-contact citation.
- Reyes previously said Bryant was the aggressor.
Steelman: both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
Bryant’s account, as presented by his attorney, is that the confrontation followed reckless driving and a threat to shoot him, and that a short video omits this context. If witnesses support that account, it could make the encounter look like a response to a perceived threat rather than an unprovoked assault, while leaving the court to assess whether Bryant’s actions were justified.
The case against
Reyes has said Bryant was the aggressor, and the reported video shows Bryant confronting him and knocking the phone from his hand. On this account, the attorney’s allegations are unverified and do not erase the concern that Bryant used physical force; the court should weigh the video, witness accounts and other evidence before deciding what happened.
Explained simply
Dez Bryant is a former American football player who spent most of his NFL career with the Dallas Cowboys. He became a public figure through his sporting career, which is why an encounter involving him has attracted attention.
The case concerns a road-side confrontation in Southlake, Texas, between Bryant and 19-year-old Noah Reyes. Reyes has said Bryant was the aggressor; Bryant’s lawyer has offered a different account, and Bryant received a citation for assault by contact, a charge involving physical contact. The court hearing will address the case, and the competing accounts have not yet been resolved.