With public scrutiny mounting, Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott took to Twitter to issue an apology for his now-controversial remarks following the team’s playoff loss to the San Francisco 49ers.
“I deeply regret the comments I made regarding the officials after the game on Sunday,” Prescott tweeted on Tuesday, January 18. “I was caught up in the emotion of a disappointing loss and my words were uncalled for and unfair.”
“I hold the NFL Officials in the highest regard and have always respected their professionalism and the difficulty of their jobs,” he continued. “The safety of everyone who attends a game or participates on the field of a sporting event is a very serious matter.”
Prescott added: “That was a mistake on my behalf, and I am sorry.”
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Dak Called Out by NBRA
Prescott’s apology stems from his postgame reaction to Dallas’ 23-17 defeat in the NFC Wild Card round, during which the Cowboys were penalized 14 times for 89 yards. Things came to a head on the final play when the umpire bumped into Prescott, who had run a draw play and was hurrying to spike the ball around midfield, stopping the clock with one second remaining.
However, the incidental contact prevented Prescott from getting the snap off — game over, season over. The ensuing scene at AT&T Stadium was bedlam, with unruly fans throwing bottles and other items at referees as they scurried toward the tunnel.
Minutes later, Prescott stood behind the podium and, when made aware that debris was aimed at the officials (not the players), encouraged the fans’ display rather than admonished it.
“Credit to them,” he said, via DallasCowboys.com. “The fans felt the same way as us. I guess that’s why the refs took off and got out of there so fast. I think everybody is upset with the way this thing played out.”
His admittedly poor choice of words drew the ire of many both inside and outside the football universe. What may have prompted his about-face was a scathing statement from, of all sources, the National Basketball League Referees Association.
“The NBRA condemns the comments by Dak Prescott condoning violence against game officials,” the group tweeted. “As an NFL leader, he should know better. We encourage the NFL to take action to discourage this deplorable behavior in the future.”
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‘No Place for That’
Cowboys brass was quick to distance themselves from Dak’s uncharacteristic utterance. Take, for example, executive vice president Stephen Jones, who used his weekly radio spot to castigate the fan base over its demonstration.
“That’s just unfortunate. That’s not the way I see our fans,” Jones said Monday, January 17 on 105.3 The Fan. “I think we’re class acts. I just think there’s no place for things like that.
“I understand being frustrated, but I don’t understand throwing things onto the field where people can get injured. There’s just no place for that.”
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