Desmond J. Bryant (born December 15, 1985) is a former American football defensive tackle. He played college football at Harvard and was signed by the Oakland Raiders as an undrafted free agent in 2009.

Bryant was born in Shorewood, Illinois to Alton and Lillian Bryant. He graduated from East Bladen High School at Elizabethtown, North Carolina in 2004. In his senior season, Bryant helped his high school football team to a 13-1 record. That was his only year playing high school football in North Carolina. His high school number is retired at East Bladen. Bryant played football and basketball for three years while attending high school in Middletown, Delaware and played for the East Bladen basketball team for two seasons. With a weighted 4.2 grade point average and 1230 SAT score, Bryant chose Harvard despite offers by Duke, Florida A&M, and Towson University. As Ivy League schools do not offer athletic or academic scholarships, Bryant received a financial aid scholarship. Harvard coach Tim Murphy thought that Bryant could be a four-year starter and potentially a professional player and compared Bryant to a Southeastern Conference player.^[1] At Harvard, Bryant majored in psychology and played 32 games in four seasons. In his senior season, Bryant was named second-team All-Ivy League after leading Harvard with eight quarterback hurries and 4.5 tackles leading to losses.^[2]

Reflecting on his college years, Bryant told the Los Angeles Times: "The Ivy League's not really my type of environment. I had some really good teammates and friends, but outside of the football world I didn't interact much with the other kids."^[1]

In June 2010, Bryant was one of five men arrested for an attack in a parking lot.^[9] Bryant was arrested on a misdemeanor criminal mischief charge for allegedly showing up drunk and shirtless at a Florida family's home on February 24, 2013.^[10] His mug shot showing him intoxicated with his eyes half closed and tongue sticking out went viral.^[11]