Dez Bryant leans on supportive teammates after father's death

Dallas Cowboys receiver Dez Bryant played in Sunday's win over the Pittsburgh Steelers despite the recent death of his father.

MacArthur Hatton died of an illness on Saturday, and Bryant admitted taking the field was no easy task.

"It was difficult," Bryant said, according to Charean Williams of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. "If we didn't have this type of vibe in the locker room, I don't think I could've played in that game, to be honest. These guys are amazing."

Not only did Bryant play, he contributed six catches, 116 yards, and a touchdown in the back-and-forth affair. The star receiver said he couldn't have done it without his teammates.

"I felt a lot of support. They keep me happy. They refused to let me get myself down," Bryant said. "I felt like I was peaceful for the most part. It's normal. It's my dad. Somebody that I extremely loved who's no longer here. With these guys, having a great support cast that I have around me is just amazing."

After the game, head coach Jason Garrett presented Bryant with the game ball, an acknowledgement of all Bryant had endured.

"The game ball was special. Of course, just goes to show you it's not only a football team, it's a family," Bryant said. "It's just something that we've been building here for a long time. It's just exciting to see whenever you've got a guy, talking about myself, going through the situation I was going through, and those guys having my back and just keeping me lifted. It just made me excited."