One of the biggest "bad boys" in NFL history doesn't think that the rules set up by the Dallas Cowboys for wide receiver Dez Bryant would have worked for him.
"It boils down to the guy and if he is willing to adhere to those rules," former New York Giants linebacker Lawrence Taylor said in an email to USA Today. "I'm not sure I would've been able to do it."
Bryant's rules ban him from drinking alcohol and attending strip clubs. Any visits to nightclubs will be with the escort of a three-man security team and he can only attend with the team's permission. Bryant will also have an around-the-clock security detail consisting of at least one person at all times.
Taylor had his share of troubles during his storied career in the NFL. In 1988, Taylor was suspended 30 days by the NFL after his second violation of the league's substance abuse policy. After his career, Taylor admitted using cocaine during his playing days.
But even Taylor is not sure that if the Giants did anything to help his situation that it would have worked.
"Hey, listen, as an organization, you can try to monitor an individual, and certainly these days there are more ways to do so rather than when I was playing," Taylor said.
Another NFL legend this week spoke out about the situation though and said that Bryant should embrace the rules and the way the Cowboys and owner Jerry Jones are trying to take care of him.
"To be able to have Dallas Cowboys, Dallas fans, those fans on your side, that's an amazing thing," Barry Sanders said on ESPN Radio's Mike and Mike in the Morning. "So hopefully 20 years down the road he'll be extremely pleased that he did that because there aren't many franchises like that. There aren't probably many owners that care about their players like Jerry Jones, so take advantage of that and you will certainly be glad that you did."
