"I've never talked to a player that I didn't have empathy (for). If you all have done one thing in my time to criticize me, it is how I will back up a player to a fault. You've done it. You've done it for years. I will back them up to a fault."

Now the fire, and again, don't interpret shake-voice if someone tells you he got emotional. Yeah, he did, like PO-ed emotional.

"So when we do make a decision around here that's in the best interest of the team to move on, there's one thing you can forget about and that is whether you're being fair or whether you've given it consideration of what it means to the individual. That doesn't happen around here.

"Thank you guys."

And off he went, into the cool sunset.

Now look, here is the problem with all the butt-kicking that has been going on, the name-calling, the rising national crisis over the Cowboys "wrongly" releasing the No. 6 wide receiver on the team: While many members of the media think they do, few, if any, know the real story behind why those authorities first thought they were arresting Lucky Whitehead for shoplifting and then issuing their mea culpa "oops" saying, naw, wasn't Lucky, we misidentified him. Was someone else they say they now are looking for, even though they had called up a picture to identify the suspect. Somehow needed more than a month to realize that or this national blowup.

Hmmmm.

Now I'm not the smartest person in the world. I think my SAT scores said I'd not make it past my first semester, sophomore year in college. But I do think I have common sense. And if we all just step back a moment, and not take the Cowboys' Tuesday stiff-arms personally, wouldn't a reasonable person consider two things:

Either that was indeed Lucky the police ticketed for a misdemeanor ($40 worth of shoplifting) or the guy was being set up for some deeper reason maybe.

Just me.

I mean, come on, a common thief doesn't go into a store, get caught shoplifting, is then confronted by the police – like did they get there immediately after whoever walked out of the store – conveniently not have any I.D. on him and the police then conduct a verbal identification:

What's your name, dude?

Rodney Darnell Whitehead Jr.

Really, this unknown person just happened to pick Lucky's name out of a hat? Heck, no one around here even knew he was a Junior, let alone Rodney Darnell. OK?

Not only that, the police say the person then gave them the address out there, date of birth and . . . and . . . the social security number that identified himself as Lucky Whitehead. Seriously, his SS#? Heck, do you guys even know your spouse's SS#?

Somethin' smells rotten in Prince William. Just sayin'.

Then, when you lump all that upon all the other stuff that has hovered over Lucky's head this past year, heck past couple of weeks, can you really fault the Cowboys for saying to themselves, "You know . . . ."

And for those listening closely, Cowboys head coach Jason Garrett actually said, "We know more about our players than you do," meaning not every transgression taking place with a player becomes public. Wade Phillips was right back when. He'd say, "Listening is a skill." Guessing, and maybe just me, that factored into this decision, too.

Also, this: Hearing that Lucky changed his story to the club multiple times. Why's that?

Plus, if the Cowboys were not so convicted in their decision, my guess is they had time to repeal their release to the league. The paperwork did not reach the NFL office until after the business day had closed on Monday. He officially wasn't placed on the waiver wire until 3 p.m. (CT) on Tuesday.

So, while Lucky is playing the sympathy card, and while the Jets reportedly claimed him off waivers on Wednesday, the Cowboys simply got to the point where enough is enough. That's what they are saying without saying it, and sticking to it.

How come? How come face this public lashing?