Thursday, January 2, 1997

Many in Dallas area seem to be fed up with Cowboys' off-field problems

By Alan Sutton / Chicago Tribune (Jan. 2, 1997)

DALLAS (KRT) - It's 48 minutes into the sports talk show Wednesday morning on KTCK, "The Ticket," when a caller mentions that the Dallas Cowboys happen to be playing the Carolina Panthers on Sunday.

The previous time was spent on one subject, and it wasn't the Cotton Bowl game this New Year's Day.

Instead, talk of suspected off-the-field activities involving Cowboys Michael Irvin and Erik Williams has taken over in this town.

A 23-year-old woman from Mesquite, Texas, has accused Irvin, Dallas' star receiver, of pointing a gun at her head while Williams and another man raped her in Williams' home, according to police reports.

No action was taken Wednesday by police, but questioning of the suspects is expected Thursday - only two days before the Cowboys leave for their NFC playoff game at Charlotte, N.C.

"I don't want to sound like some kind of buffoon, but I don't know what's going on," Cowboys quarterback Troy Aikman told the assembled media at the team's training facility at Valley Ranch.

But Aikman acknowledged that the famed Dallas Cowboys image is taking a ferocious beating.

"There's been a lot said about this football team and there's a lot of people in the Dallas organization who are not too happy with the image that might be out there," he said.

That image has been fostered by some unseemly behavior in recent years by this incarnation of the so-called America's Team, winners of three of the last four Super Bowls.

In April 1995, a 17-year-old accused Williams, an outstanding offensive lineman, of assaulting her in his home. A year later, Irvin was indicted, along with two women, on drug charges. He pleaded no contest and was put on four years' probation and fined $10,000.

If charged, Irvin's probation could be revoked and that might lead to a 20-year prison sentence.

And in early December, defensive tackle Leon Lett was suspended by the league for a minimum of one year for violating NFL drug policy a second time.

And now this.

Dave Smith, the longtime executive sports editor of the Dallas Morning News, said the city is simply fed up.

"There are some people who say let 'em play football regardless of their off-the-field shenanigans," Smith said. "But there are a lot more people who are really upset with this."

Safety-linebacker Bill Bates probably epitomizes the once-idealized America's Team mold. But he said before practice Wednesday that "for a guy who wanted to play his whole life for the Dallas Cowboys, at times it really makes you sick to your stomach hearing these things."

He said a "feeding frenzy" by the media surrounds the Cowboys and only gets worse at a time like this.

Even his young children join in the questioning. When asked how he responds to them, Bates said: "People are always going to have problems and not everybody's perfect. People do wrong things and it's my goal to tell them what the right thing is to do."

"We've had a lot of incidents where you have brought a little bit of tarnish to the Dallas Cowboys organization," said fullback Daryl Johnston. "It was built by people with great moral character."

The Cowboys are talking as if they plan to have Irvin and Williams on the field Sunday against the Panthers.

The swirling controversy "has no effect on us," Cowboys coach Barry Switzer said after the team's practice Wednesday afternoon. He noted that both Irvin and Williams practiced.

But Dallas is believed to have an alternate game plan available should Irvin and Williams become unavailable. Deion Sanders, who started for the suspended Irvin in the first five games this season, could be there again. And All-Pro right guard Larry Allen likely would move into Williams' spot with Derek Kennard replacing Allen.

When he left practice Wednesday, Williams simply rushed by reporters saying, "No comment," got in his maroon sports-utility vehicle and quickly drove off.

Some players, such as running back Emmitt Smith and defensive back George Teague, star of the 40-15 whipping of the Minnesota Vikings Saturday, refused to even touch the subject.

"I don't know anything about what's happened," Teague said. "I made a point not to turn on the TV so I wouldn't have to answer any of these questions today."

The closest Smith would come was when he said, "I think we're fed up with all we've been hearing all year."

(c) 1997, Chicago Tribune.

Visit the Chicago Tribune on America Online (keyword: Tribune) or the Internet Tribune at http://www.chicago.tribune.com/

Distributed by Knight-Ridder/Tribune Information Services.