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Dez On 'Down-And-Out' Status Of Ex Cowboys Star

Barber has been out of the NFL spotlight since his March 2021 retirement. But the police blotter is dotted with numerous incidents that suggest a mental-health issue.

Mike Fisher

FRISCO - We have chronicled in this space before the sad tale of mid-2000s Dallas Cowboys running back Marion Barber, the tough-charging "Barbarian'' who in his post-football career has experienced mental-health issues, police-related incidents and an unstable living environment.

Former teammate Dez Bryant is reflecting on those struggles and acknowledging that, it seems, the 38-year-old is still struggling.

"Down-and-out bad,'' is how Bryant phrased it.

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“As I watch this video and me knowing exactly how Marion Barber life is going right now today is why I built @personalcorner …. I can’t even enjoy it because he’s down and out bad…we are just a stat and moments to most people…” Bryant wrote in response to a highlights video of Barber.

Barber has been out of the NFL spotlight since his March 2021 retirement. But the police blotter is dotted with numerous incidents that suggest a mental-health issue, including a 2014 report that, according to a police spokesman, resulted not in an arrest but rather with Barber being transported to a hospital for mental evaluation."

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Barber entered the league with the Cowboys via his selection in the fourth round of the 2005 NFL Draft. The University of Minnesota product spent six seasons in Dallas before moving to the Chicago Bears for the 2011 season. In 99 games played, Barber totaled 4,780 yards and 53 rushing touchdowns, with receiving numbers of 1,330 yards and six touchdowns. Marion played in the 2007 Pro Bowl.

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Mike Fisher
MIKE FISHER

Mike Fisher - as a newspaper beat writer and columnist and on radio and TV, where he is an Emmy winner - has covered the NFL since 1983 and the Dallas Cowboys since 1990, is the author of two best-selling books on the Cowboys.

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