OK, so it was reported that Miami Dolphins GM Jeff Ireland, during predraft interviews, asked wide receiver Dez Bryant (who was chosen by the Cowboys) if his mother was a hooker. (You can see my opinion here.) Now it appears the Dolphins are countering their embarrassment by leaking to SI's Jim Trotter that it was a natural follow-up question because Dez told them that his father was a pimp.

Dolphins GM Jeff Ireland took a moon leap out of bounds when he asked Oklahoma State wide receiver Dez Bryant during a pre-draft interview if the player's mother used to be a prostitute.

Or did he?

Two sources familiar with the situation contend that Ireland's question was nothing more than the logical follow-up to comments Bryant had made about his family. According to the sources, Ireland began the meeting by asking Bryant, 21, about his upbringing and his relationship with his siblings. Then he asked what Bryant's father did for a living when Bryant was growing up. The following exchange allegedly ensued:

"My dad was a pimp."

"What did your mom do [for a living]?"

"She worked for my dad."

"Your mom was a prostitute?"

"No, she wasn't a prostitute."

Ireland apologized Tuesday for asking what has been described as a classless, offensive and potentially illegal question. But if the incident went down as described by two members of the Dolphins organization, Bryant should be the next to repent because there was no need for this story to go from a controlled burn to a raging wildfire.

Wow, even in sports we're seeing the use of anonymous sourcing. What cowards.

Dez Bryant has responded and is calling this report a total lie.

The Dez Bryant(notes)-Jeff Ireland controversy simply won't die.

It's very much alive, especially with so many conflicting reports about the exchange that Ireland has admitted to during a predraft official visit where he asked the wide receiver if his mother was a prostitute.

Here's the latest.

Bryant sent a text message to ESPN saying he never told the Miami Dolphins' general manager that his father was a pimp.

"No, I didn't tell him my dad was a pimp," Bryant write.

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell needs to get involved now and find out who is lying. If it's the Dolphins, heads should roll. Trotter will not give up his sources I would expect so it probably will be hard to find out, but Trotter wouldn't report this if it wasn't coming from someone in the Dolphins organization and he should take away their first round draft pick for 2011. If Bryant is lying, then his reputation will forever be destroyed and he should expect some heavy fines.

But I have to say, the Dolphins are acting gutless if indeed Dez is lying here and they should have gone on the record instead of hiding behind the shield of anonymity. They could have stood up for their GM when he apologized if Ireland would have actually explained what happened. And even if his father was a pimp, he still shouldn't have asked about his mother in that way even though it would have been easier to justify his it.

This smells. And as I've been saying, there's a big Sports Village just like in the DC beltway.