DALLAS – Dez Bryant said he's trying to cut down on cheeseburgers, is preparing to travel to Oregon to design his Nike shoes, believes he's getting sound advice on the maturation process – oh, and he mentioned to the media at-large on Tuesday that he's also modeling part of his persona on the legendary Michael Jordan.
"The only thing he told me was 'stay out of trouble,'" the budding star receiver said Tuesday following Dallas Cowboys OTAs. "Hearing it come from him, he is a strong voice. His opinion matters."
Bryant met Jordan during NBA All-Star Weekend last February as the Chicago Bulls icon celebrated his 50th birthday. Their relationship is now a professional one, too, Bryant said of his plans to visit Nike headquarters this spring to help with design ideas.
"It just adds fuel to trying to do things great at all times," Bryant said of his association with the Jordan Brand. "That's something you don't want to mess up … Everybody knows Michael Jordan is about his business, so that makes you want to be about yours."
Bryant said he is more lean than ever as he tries to tinker with the exact right weight for him. Cutting down on cheeseburgers is part of that. "Never giving them up, just cutting down," he said.
I offered to add my artistic talents to his shoe designs, but he cut down that idea, too.
"Thanks," he said, "but it doesn't take much artistic ability to make an 'X.'"
Bryant's design, as reported in this space previously, won't feature his No. 88, but rather the trademark "X" he flashes, arms crossed, when he scores.
