NFL
Dak Prescott Issues a Groveling Apology After Praising Fans for Throwing Trash at Referees
Tim Crean started writing about sports in 2016 and joined Sportscasting in 2021. He excels with his versatile coverage of the NFL and soccer landscape, as well as his expertise breaking down sports media, which stems from his many years downloading podcasts before they were even cool and countless hours spent listening to Mike & The Mad Dog and The Dan Patrick Show, among other programs. As a longtime self-professed sports junkie who even played DII lacrosse at LeMoyne College in Syracuse, New York, Tim loves reading about all the latest sports news every day and considers it a dream to write about sports professionally. He's a lifelong Buffalo Bills fan from Western New York who mistakenly thought, back in the early '90s, that his team would be in the Super Bowl every year. He started following European soccer — with a Manchester City focus — in the early 2000s after spending far too much time playing FIFA. When he's not enjoying a round of golf or coaching youth soccer and flag football, Tim likes reading the work of Bill Simmons, Tony Kornheiser, Chuck Klosterman, and Tom Wolfe.
Get to know Tim Crean betterUpdated19 Jan 2022
Dak Prescott was understandably upset after the heartbreaking end to the Dallas Cowboys’ season. However, that doesn’t excuse him for praising fans for throwing trash at referees as they left the field. Two days after the Cowboys quarterback did just that, he (or his PR team) realized that was a bad look and issued a groveling apology.
Dal Prescott had some harsh words for the referee after controversial ending
Time ran out on the team’s last drive when the umpire on referee Alex Kemp’s crew failed to spot the ball following a quarterback sneak with no timeouts, and the clock hit zero. The San Francisco 49ers won the game 23-17.
As the players and officials ran off the field at Jerry Jones’ AT&T Stadium, angry Dallas Cowboys fans sitting near the exit tunnel hurled trash onto the field and at the participants running off.
It was a classless, irresponsible move by a fan base that likes to consider themselves among the best fans in not just football but all of pro sports.
After the game, Prescott stepped to the mics at his postgame press conference and started taking his team’s fans to task. He initially thought they were throwing trash at his teammates.
The franchise QB called the situation “sad” and praised his teammates as “men who come out every day of their lives and give everything to this sport.” Prescott called the fans “fanatics” and said it’s “tough” to disrespect professionals who work so hard.
Then a reporter told Prescott, “I think they were aiming at the referees.”
That’s when the hypocritical QB changed his tune.
“Credit to them then,” Prescott quipped. “Credit, credit to them.”
Prescott quickly walked his comments back two days after the game
Dak Prescott’s snarky and irresponsible response to fans dangerously and disrespectfully hurling garbage at the officiating crew happened around 8 p.m. EST on Sunday night after the game ended.
Almost exactly 48 hours later, the Dallas Cowboys quarterback finally made public comments expressing regret for his remarks on Sunday.
At 7:47 p.m. EST on Tuesday, Prescott took to Twitter and apologized:
I deeply regret the comments I made regarding the officials after the game on Sunday.
I was caught up in the emotion of a disappointing loss and my words were uncalled for and unfair.
via @dak on Twitter
Overall, it was a solid, unequivocal apology, which reflects well on Prescott. However, the fact that he waited 24-hours to issue the apology or even made the comments in the first place is still problematic.
The whole situation reinforces what many NFL fans think of the Dallas Cowboys. The common perception is that the entire organization — from ownership down to the fans — are arrogant, entitled, and soft.
Prescott’s postgame comments and delay in apologizing do nothing to change that narrative, especially since it wasn’t the referee’s fault to begin with.
The end of the Cowboys season was trash, but it wasn’t the referees’ fault
Could umpire Ramon George have spotted the ball faster? Probably.
Was it incredibly risky to run a QB draw with 14 seconds to go in the game with no timeouts? Definitely.
Did the No. 3 seeded Dallas Cowboys lose to the No. 6 seed San Francisco 49ers because the Cowboys dug themselves a 23-7 hole and didn’t get it together on either side of the ball until the fourth quarter, which has nothing to do with the referees? Absolutely.
Dak Prescott did not have a good day. He was just 23-of-43 for 254 yards with a TD and an INT. The offense as a whole rushed for just 77 yards, with Ezekiel Elliott getting the bulk of the workload (12 carries) and producing just 31 yards (or 2.58 yards per carry).
The Dallas D wasn’t any better.
The 49ers rushed for 169 yards and two TDs. And RB Elijah Mitchell had 20 more yards than the entire Cowboys team on his own. Deebo Samuel was excellent as usual, too, putting up 110 all-purpose yards and finding the end zone as well.
Many people are to blame for the Cowboys’ upset loss in the 2021 NFL playoffs. Prescott can blame head coach Mike McCarthy or coordinators Kellen Moore and Dan Quinn, his teammates, even his fans (if he wants) for not cheering loud enough. And he should definitely blame the 49ers for coming out and beating his team down in every aspect of the game.
Who Prescott shouldn’t blame is referee Alex Kemp and his crew for not spotting the ball quick enough after a horrific play call.
It’s a shame it took so long for the QB to figure that out.
All stats courtesy of Pro Football Reference
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