'That's Why The Cowboys Suck!' Inside Sharpe's ESPN Rant

Maybe the strongest of those media reactions this week came from Shannon Sharpe of ESPN, who delivered his anti-Cowboys screen without a hint of irony.

Said the Hall-of-Famer Sharpe: “That’s why your Cowboys suck - because two of their best players, this is what they’re doing ... That shows you how much the game of football needs to them.”

Sharpe added that it is evident to him that some Cowboys don't actually care about real on-field success.

“You can’t convince me these guys these guys care about winning,” he said. “Because this is not what you do when you want to win. So what’s in the club that’s gonna help you get better? Take your (butt) home and start the recovery process. 

"This is why I couldn’t play in today’s time. Because I don’t care what they say, guys, most - a lot - don’t care about winning. They like the bag. They like what comes along with being an NFL player.''

In fairness, we must note: Sharpe himself has been involved in some "bad optics'' over the course of his career as a player and in the media. There was once a restraining order on him alleging forced sex and threats. There once was an alleged arrest when he was accused of hitting his girlfriend. There once was a misdemeanor battery charge "for removing the mother of one of his children from his home." There is an old report that he was involved in "10 court cases (regarding) paternity and domestic matters.''

His recent controversy featuring an IG Live of him having sex caused him to apologize - but only after he first claimed he'd been "hacked ... my team and I are working vigorously to figure this out.''

He later deleted that comment. So ... glass houses and stone-throwing and all of that probably merits a mention.

We often say around here that "Sometimes the Dallas Cowboys seem like a marketing company that plays football on the side.'' We believe it is a fair criticism of the organizational priorities created by owner Jerry Jones that trickle down to players who (allegedly) film music videos after blowout losses.

We will also say that while Sharpe comes across as bit hypocritical here ... if you play in the NFL and for "America's Team,'' optics are an issue ... and players and teams should at least be aware of whether they should care.