Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott was fined by the NFL for his comments after the team’s loss to the San Francisco 49ers in the wild-card round of the playoffs this past weekend. According to Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero of the NFL Network, Prescott was fined $25,000 for praising Cowboys fans who threw trash at officials when the game was over.
The Cowboys lost to the 49ers 23-17 but came close to earning the victory. The final sequence of the game saw Prescott take a bump from umpire Ramon George as he was trying to spot the ball during the game’s final seven seconds following a 17-yard run from Prescott. The Cowboys were looking to spike the ball to stop the clock and run another play, but time expired before they could snap the ball.
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After the game, Prescott was asked about fans throwing objects after the game. He first thought it was directed towards the players and said it was “sad,” But when he was informed that the trash was directed at officials, Prescott said “Credit to them, then. Credit to them.” The 28-year-old quarterback took some heat for the comments, which then led to him issuing an apology.
“I deeply regret the comments I made regarding the officials after the game on Sunday,” Prescott tweeted. “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. 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.”
The Cowboys and their fans are not happy with the loss as they thought this season was going to be the year where they reach the Super Bowl for the first time since 1995. Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy shared a very interesting reason why his team can out slow on Sunday.
“I thought we were nervous to start the game,” McCarthy said, per Sports Illustrated. “I felt it in the locker room at the team prayer. … Let me take the word ‘nervous’ back. It was a little angst …I just think it was the first time we were doing this as a whole.”
