DALLAS — Former Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Dez Bryant was cited for assault Sunday after a confrontation over reckless driving escalated in a Southlake, Texas, parking lot, according to an interview the ex-player gave Fox News' OutKick. Bryant, 37, is arguing the citation followed a prejudiced investigation by Southlake police, alleging officers relied on partial cellphone footage of the ...

Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Dez Bryant warms up before an NFL football game against the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday, Dec. 31, 2017, in Philadelphia.

Smiley N. Pool/Dallas Morning News/TNS

DALLAS — Former Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Dez Bryant was cited for assault Sunday after a confrontation over reckless driving escalated in a Southlake, Texas, parking lot, according to an interview the ex-player gave Fox News' OutKick.

Bryant, 37, is arguing the citation followed a prejudiced investigation by Southlake police, alleging officers relied on partial cellphone footage of the altercation without adequately examining what preceded it.

"I felt like it was very one-sided," Bryant told the outlet. A spokesperson for the athlete did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Dallas Morning News.

Bryant told OutKick the incident began shortly before 1 p.m. Sunday when two men in separate vehicles cut him off in traffic. When Bryant confronted them in the parking lot of a Mexican restaurant, he said one of the men threatened to shoot him.

"You pull that gun, I’m telling you right now, you better use it," Bryant recalled saying. "Because if you don’t, I’m going to do something to you."

But instead of drawing a gun, Bryant said the man pulled out his phone and started recording. Bryant told him to put it away before knocking the phone out of his hand, he said in the interview.

Capt. Blas Hernandez, a Southlake police spokesman, wrote in a news release that several 911 calls followed, detailing an altercation involving multiple people and "a possible weapon."

Based on those reports, Hernandez said officers arrived on scene with their firearms drawn as a "precaution to address any potential threats and ensure the safety of everyone at the scene."

Bryant said an officer pointed a gun at him before ordering all three men to the ground. Bryant’s girlfriend arrived shortly after, filming from her car as officers handcuffed their wrists behind their backs.

In the video shared with OutKick, Bryant can be seen lying face down beside a yellow-striped speed bump. An officer standing near his head holds a rifle strapped across the front of his chest, its barrel pointed toward the ground.

Bryant's daughters watched from the backseat: "I was really more so concerned about my children, you know, looking at their dad being on the ground with a gun pointed at me," he said.

According to Bryant, officers then placed him in a patrol car before releasing him with the citation, while the other men were allowed to leave.

No guns were recovered from the men who were detained, Hernandez said.

The citation, also provided to OutKick, listed the offense as "assault by contact." It also stated Bryant was not arrested and directed him to appear in Southlake Municipal Court by Nov. 20.

Bryant said he has asked police to pursue a more thorough investigation, including a search for surveillance video of the initial driving incident and more focus on the alleged death threat.

"Treat everybody fair," Bryant said. "Do your due diligence on what’s actually going on."

The officer, Bryant said, told him to be “the bigger person.”

Bryant played eight seasons with the Cowboys after the team selected the Oklahoma State receiver with the 24th pick in the 2010 NFL draft. He ranks fourth in receptions and sixth in yards among the Cowboys' career receiving leaders.

When the Cowboys released him in 2018, Bryant signed with the New Orleans Saints but tore his Achilles tendon during practice two days later, ending his season before he ever played a game.

The three-time Pro Bowler returned to the NFL in 2020 with the Baltimore Ravens, appearing in six games.

While Bryant hasn't played since, he hasn't formally retired, either.

____