54 Grand???

Rookie hazing is a huge part of the NFL.  Always has been, always will be.  So back in August, when Cowboys rookie receiver refused to carry the shoulder pads of veteran Roy Williams, there were going to be consequences.  And boy did they make him pay.  Bryant took the team out to dinner and was told to pick up the tab.  As a joke, the approximately 55 people at the dinner rang up a bill of 54,000 dollars, an amount that totals to more than the average teacher’s yearly salary.  Is this right? Does the fact that Dez Bryant can certainly afford to pay the tab somehow make it okay?  I don’t think so.  What those players did was extremely wasteful and was in poor taste.  When punishing players for breaking a variety of rules, the governing authority usually cites the fact that the athlete has “not upheld the standards of conduct” of that particular league.  Similarly, the media and fans make their voices heard, often in outrage, over whatever that player has done.  But why does anyone even care? It is because, whether it is “proper” or not, athletes are held to a higher standard.  They are seen as role models and community leaders. My question is this…”How is ringing up a 54,000 dollar tab as a joke, conduct befitting of such men?”  In short, it’s not.  Particularly when some of these same men are demanding more and more money.  Good luck convincing the rest of America that you need more money when you have 54 grand to blow on dinner.