Stillwater NewsPress

Local Sports

July 24, 2012

Mike Gundy talks Dez Bryant, Big 12 rule changes

By Jason Elmquist Stillwater NewsPress

DALLAS — Being in Dallas and the college coach of Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Dez Bryant, it was no surprise Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy was asked about Bryant’s recent arrest for a family violence charge.

“You can be a good person and make mistakes and you can be squeaky clean on the outside and not be a good person. He’s a good person,” Gundy said Tuesday at the Big 12 Football Media Days. “He’s not making good decisions and he’s in an environment where he’s making mistakes. At some point, he’ll have to grow through it or he’ll run out of chances.”

Bryant was also thrown out of a Dallas shopping mall in May 2011 over a dispute over the sagging pants worn by him and some companions.

While at Oklahoma State, Bryant was suspended the second half of his final year in the program for lying to NCAA investigators about his relationship with former NFL star Deion Sanders.

“As long as he has another chance, he has an opportunity to clean it all up,” Gundy said.

Rules changes

Safety-related rules changes will take effect this season around college football. One of the biggest rules being implemented has to do with players’ helmets coming dislodged.

A player whose helmet comes off during play will be treated similar to an injured player, where they will have to sit out a play. The player will also not be allowed to continue in the action, or will otherwise be called for an unsportsmanlike penalty. Once a player’s helmet is dislodged he is deemed a defenseless player and if an opposing player engages the player who no longer has his helmet, the opposing player will be called for unsportsmanlike conduct.

There will also be a return of the halo rule on punt coverage. But instead of the old 5-yard halo rule, the receiving player is granted a 1-yard halo 180 degrees in front of him. And unlike the previous halo rule, the infraction will automatically warrant a 15-yard penalty.

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