Deion Sanders, who stopped mentoring Dez Bryant months ago, strongly criticized the Dallas Cowboys receiver in reaction to the criminal trespass warning given to Bryant over the weekend at a Dallas mall.
"I'm upset but not surprised whatsoever," Sanders said on The Ben & Skin Show on ESPN 103.3 FM in Dallas.Bryant, who was stung by Sanders' comments, is adamant that the only thing he did wrong at the mall is use profanity toward a police officer, whom the receiver claims shoved him in the back as he was escorting him outside.
"I feel like the cop was in the wrong here more than anything," Bryant told ESPNDallas.com earlier Friday, before his ban from the mall was lifted. "Don't just make it seem like I went off and had a hot head for no reason. That's the only thing I did wrong -- I used profanity."
Still Sanders said Bryant has issues stemming from his difficult childhood.
"He needs help. He needs help," Sanders said. "I told the Cowboys from day one that he needs help. Matter of fact, they have a team in place to help him. But you cannot tell a grown man what to do."
Sanders, who was recently selected into the Pro Football Hall of Fame and serves as a mentor to many NFL players, said he ended his relationship with Bryant over the summer because of the receiver's dishonesty.
"I wish Deion would come to me as a man and talk to me," Bryant told ESPNDallas.com. "I've been reaching out to Deion. I've never done anything wrong to Deion or disrespected him. I've never lied to Deion."
