Michael Irvin says Dez Bryant isn’t wicked

Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Dez Bryant often finds himself at the center of controversy. Whether it be run-ins with mall cops or rappers, or sideline outbursts that might be judged incorrectly, he gets criticized a lot.

Former Cowboys receiver Michael Irvin, who wore the same No. 88 jersey during his Hall of Fame career, has been one of Bryant’s biggest defenders. Irvin defended Bryant again saying there is a difference between “wicked” and misguided.

“I always say this, we shouldn’t have to understand, and I love to judge men on distance traveled, with where Dez comes from just like where I come from, we might have the proclivity to make bad decisions only because you come from a history and because you’re guided so much. Really, your gift puts you, as the bible says, in a place that your person is not prepared for. That’s why we have to undergird him,” Irvin said on CBS 11, via the Dallas Morning News. “There is a difference between a wickedness and a weakness. This guy maybe makes some bad decision with some friends and all of that, but this is a good dude. He’s not wicked at all. You want that kind of guy around.”