Former Dallas Cowboys' stars took part in a rally against domestic violence in Dallas on Saturday, telling thousands gathered, “It's truly not a manly thing to do.”
Hall of Fame running back Emmitt Smith chided men who aren’t able to control their emotions, instead channeling their anger into hurting women, the AP reported.
Cowboys quarterback legend Roger Staubach expressed disdain that such rallies even have to occur anymore. "It's amazing that we even need to have this rally," Staubach said, "but the momentum needs to take shape."
Cowboys receiver Dez Bryant took his time before the crowd to apologize for a domestic violence incident in July in which he was arrested for allegedly hitting his mother. No charges were filed in that incident.
“I made a mistake,” he said during a brief speech, according to
The Dallas Morning News, which noted that Bryant kept his head low and Rawlings had to tell him to hold the microphone closer. The player urged the crowd to eliminate domestic violence from their lives.
The event, “Men Against Abuse,” was started by Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings following several local incidents of abuse of women by men.
“It’s time to shine a light to domestic violence and the mark it leaves on a community, much like we’ve seen in recent years with smoking and drunk driving,” Rawlings said in a news release prior to the event. “We need the men of Dallas to know that one time is one too many — that we won’t settle for less than zero tolerance of domestic violence.”
Cowboys cornerback Brandon Carr told dallascowboys.com he has been troubled by how many NFL players have been arrested for domestic violence.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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