Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott and running back Ezekiel Elliott received criticism on Saturday following news that they had allegedly disregarded Texas’ “safer at home” orders. TMZ reported that Prescott had hosted around 30 people at his home for a birthday party and that Elliott was in attendance. Days later, however, the quarterback is telling his side of the story.
Prescott released a statement about the alleged incident on Tuesday and clarified the number of people that were at his home. He also expressed frustration about the media citing unnamed sources about this alleged party. Residents of Texas have been told to stay at home in order to minimize contact with those that don’t live in the same household. Texas has at least 14,624 confirmed COVID-19 cases, along with 318 deaths.
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“I understand and accept that there are additional responsibilities and media scrutiny that come with being an NFL quarterback, but it is very frustrating and disappointing when people provide completely inaccurate information from anonymous sources, especially now,” Prescott said in his statement. “To set the record straight — I know that we all need to do our best to socially distance and like everyone else, I am continuing to adjust to what that requires, but the truth is that I was with fewer than 10 people for a home dinner — not a party — on Friday night.
“I am very sensitive to the challenges we are all facing and making sure to support the first responders and medical personnel and everyone else putting in long hours. We are all at a time when we need to keep educating ourselves about the importance of health and isolation during this pandemic and I will continue to make sure to do my part by following the guidelines until we are approved to start returning to normal activities.”
Following the reports of the alleged party, Dallas Cowboys CEO Stephen Jones appeared on 105.3 The Fan. He said that the team had spoken to both Prescott and Elliott and that there wouldn’t be similar situations taking place in the near future. This discussion reportedly took place prior to Prescott’s statement.
“We’ve certainly communicated with Dak and Zeke. I think they’re certainly aware now of how sensitive these situations are and I don’t think you’ll be seeing that anymore,” Jones said Tuesday. “They are certainly guys we have the utmost respect for. I certainly know they understand the sensitivity of the situation we’re in, it’s certainly very serious and something we know they understand.”
Prescott also recently came under scrutiny due to photos and videos that surfaced of him working out with former Cowboys receiver Dez Bryant. One specific photo showed Prescott standing arm-in-arm with Bryant and some other players. Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio even called for NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell to punish both players for taking part in these workouts during the ongoing pandemic.
