On a quiet Sunday afternoon in late October, a parking lot dispute in Southlake, Texas, grew loud enough to draw armed officers, and what began as a clash of tempers on the road became a small chapter in the long human habit of settling grievances in public places. Former NFL receiver Dez Bryant now stands at the edge of a minor criminal charge, one that carries little jail risk but asks a familiar question: who was threatened, and who was provoked. By bringing in a seasoned lawyer, Bryant signals that he will not let the citation pass without argument, leaving the municipal court to weigh a s
Dez Bryant Hires Levi McCathern's Firm After Texas Misdemeanor Charge in Parking Lot Altercation
No firearms were recovered at the scene.
Mark
This sounds like a small charge. Why is a law firm involved?
Mimi
Because of who it is. Dez Bryant was cited for assault by contact, a Class C misdemeanor, but he's a well-known former Cowboy, and he reportedly hired Levi McCathern's firm.
Luke
Worth noting that the hire is reported, not announced. A Southlake Municipal Court official told the California Post. McCathern hadn't responded to OutKick.
Mark
What does Bryant say happened?
Mimi
He says he knocked a phone out of a man's hand during an argument after a driving dispute. He says the man threatened to shoot him, then just started filming.
Luke
That's Bryant's account. The threat is his allegation. Police say callers reported a possible weapon, but no firearms were recovered.
Mark
So police didn't confirm a threat?
Mimi
Their statement doesn't address it. It describes a traffic incident near Kimball Avenue, an argument in the lot, and the alleged assault.
Luke
Right, and we haven't heard from the other man. Nothing here tells us his version.
Mark
Why did officers draw their guns?
Mimi
Several callers mentioned a possible weapon, so they treated it as a precaution and briefly detained several people.
Mark
And McCathern's other client?
Mimi
Puka Nacua, in a civil case over an allegation that he bit someone. It's context, not a link between the cases.
Luke
Agreed. It tells us about McCathern's practice, nothing about the merits here.
Il Polso
- A reported fight in a Southlake parking lot sent officers in with weapons drawn, and the tension dissolved only when no firearm turned up.
- Bryant admits knocking a phone from a man's hand, but insists he was answering a threat to shoot him.
- A Class C assault-by-contact citation was issued and Bryant was released at the scene, so no custody followed.
- Bryant has reportedly retained attorney Levi McCathern, a sign he intends to contest the charge rather than settle it quickly.
- The case now moves toward Southlake Municipal Court, where the competing accounts of the other man have yet to be heard.
On a quiet Sunday afternoon in late October, a parking lot dispute in Southlake, Texas, grew loud enough to draw armed officers, and what began as a clash of tempers on the road became a small chapter in the long human habit of settling grievances in public places. Former NFL receiver Dez Bryant now stands at the edge of a minor criminal charge, one that carries little jail risk but asks a familiar question: who was threatened, and who was provoked. By bringing in a seasoned lawyer, Bryant signals that he will not let the citation pass without argument, leaving the municipal court to weigh a story of a phone, a threat, and an absent weapon.
At midday on Sunday, October 25, Southlake police received calls about a fight in a retail parking lot on FM 1709. Callers described several people involved and perhaps a weapon, so officers arrived with guns drawn. No weapon was ever found, and several people were briefly detained while officers sorted out what had happened.
Among those detained was former Dallas Cowboys receiver Dez Bryant. Police say the trouble began as a traffic dispute near Kimball Avenue, where Bryant reported being cut off. Both vehicles ended up in the parking lot, where an argument turned physical. Bryant was cited for assault by contact, a Class C misdemeanor, and released at the scene.
Bryant does not dispute the physical act. He says he knocked a phone out of a man's hand after the man threatened to shoot him and began recording him. He maintains there was no gun, and that he acted to make the man stop filming him.
Now Bryant has reportedly hired attorney Levi McCathern, who is also representing Los Angeles Rams receiver Puka Nacua in an unrelated civil matter. The charge is the lowest tier of criminal offense in Texas and is heard in municipal court. Retaining a firm of this profile suggests Bryant plans to fight it. What comes next is whether the case moves forward in Southlake Municipal Court, and how the defense treats his claim of a threat that police found no weapon to support.
At 12:59 p.m. on Sunday, October 25, police in Southlake, Texas, got word of a fight in progress in a retail parking lot in the 2200 block of FM 1709. Several callers said multiple people were involved, and some mentioned a possible weapon. Officers arrived with their firearms drawn as a precaution, according to a statement the department gave OutKick.
The weapon never materialized. Several people were temporarily detained while police sorted out what had happened, and no firearms were recovered at the scene. One of those people was former Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Dez Bryant, 37, identified in the police statement as Desmond Bryant.
Police say the confrontation began as a traffic incident near Kimball Avenue. Bryant reported that another motorist had cut him off. Both parties then drove into the parking lot, where an argument ensued and the alleged assault took place. After the investigation, Bryant was issued a citation for assault by contact, a Class C misdemeanor in Texas, and was released at the scene.
Bryant has not disputed the central physical act. He told OutKick that he knocked a phone out of a man's hand. In his account, the two men he encountered had been driving recklessly, and one of them threatened him. He described it this way: the man began threatening him and suggested he would shoot him. Bryant said the man did not actually have a gun, but started recording him on a phone instead. He said he told the man to get the phone off him, and that he then knocked it away.
Now Bryant has reportedly brought in legal help. An official with the Southlake Municipal Court told the California Post that he retained the firm of Levi McCathern to represent him. OutKick asked McCathern for a statement about the charge, and he had not responded right away.
McCathern is already handling another high-profile athlete matter. He currently represents Los Angeles Rams receiver Puka Nacua in a civil case in which someone alleges that Nacua bit them.
The charge itself sits at the lowest tier of criminal offenses in Texas. A Class C misdemeanor is handled in municipal court, and Bryant was not taken into custody on it. Still, the decision to hire a firm with McCathern's profile suggests he intends to contest it rather than simply resolve it.
What to watch next is whether the case moves forward in Southlake Municipal Court, and how McCathern's defense addresses the citation, particularly Bryant's claim that he was responding to a threat that police found no weapon to support. The accounts of the other man and his companion have not been reported in the material available so far.
Citazioni salienti
I told him, you know, get the phone off me. So what I ended up doing is I knocked the phone out of his hand.— Dez Bryant, to OutKick
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