Dak Prescott Fined Heftily Over Comments: NFL Player Said What?
It was recently reported that the Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott had been fined by the NFL following his comment related to game officials.
Prescott was fined $25,000 for postgame comments after their Sunday's loss to the San Francisco 49ers, according to a source who told ESPN on Thursday, January 20.
The NFL player was questioned on Sunday, January 16, regarding the fans throwing things at his teammates in anger as they left the field following the wild-card game.
When he was clarified that the thrown objects like beer and water bottles on the field were directed at the officials, he claimed, "Credit to them then. Credit to them."
The 28-year-old athlete was given a chance to "walk the comments back" as the news conference asked him about what he meant with his comment. But he only said, "Yeah, if they weren't at us, and if the fans felt the same way as us and that's what they were doing it for, yeah I guess that's why the refs took off and got out of there so fast."
"I think everybody is upset with the way that this thing played out. As I said, I'm sure a fan would be the same," Prescott concluded.
Prescott's Apology
After the news conference, a statement was made by the NBA referees association condemning the comments made by Prescott condoning violence against game officials.
After that, he left an update to his 1.4 million followers and apologized regarding the issue. He stated, "I deeply regret the comments I made regarding the officials after the game on Sunday," adding that he was caught up with the emotion from their loss.
Cowboys QB Dak Prescott issued a statement regarding postgame comments he deeply regrets. Via his Twitter: pic.twitter.com/5DtzrRat7c
— Jori Epstein (@JoriEpstein) January 19, 2022
"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. That was a mistake on my behalf, and I am sorry."
USA Today reported that Prescott took the criticisms made by the media and the National Basketball Referees Association while being a finalist for the NFL's Walter Payton Man of the Year award. They also said that the quarterback got frustrated after their 23-17 loss, which ended with the game officials "colliding with [Prescott] on a messy attempt to spot the ball."
Prescott was notified about the fans throwing trash at the players that a video also caught the defensive end, DeMarcus Lawrence, using his helmet to deflect a bottle. The player admitted that he never saw the action made by the fans, but he condemned the gesture.
