Giants player accuses Cowboys' Micah Parsons of flat-out punching him in the face during Thanksgiving Day loss

Dallas Cowboys star Micah Parsons is one of the NFL's best young defensive players and is known for his athleticism and tenacity. According to New York Giants center Nick Gates, Parsons possibly took the tenacity to a whole other level. Gates accused the Dallas Cowboys linebacker of punching him in the face.

The Giants and Cowboys rivalry has always been a physical one, and it was shown in their Week 12 Thanksgiving Day matchup at AT&T Stadium. Gates said the following:

"I told him, 'Come on, I know you want to.' He took me up on it."

Gates added:

"I'm not the best football player, so I've got to do other things to try to help out the team."

Dan Duggan

@DDuggan21

Gates said they were talking trash and, "I told him, 'Come on, I know you want to.' He took me up on it."

The self-deprecating Gates added, "I'm not the best football player, so I've got to do other things to try to help out the team."

699

35

Gates said they were talking trash and, "I told him, 'Come on, I know you want to.' He took me up on it."

The self-deprecating Gates added, "I'm not the best football player, so I've got to do other things to try to help out the team."

Parsons is one of the leading candidates to win the NFL Defensive Player of the Year this season. However, the former Penn State star didn’t take too kindly to being called out by Gates for allegedly punching him. The linebacker responded to the accusations made by Gates. Parsons said:

"When he says others things that means, play dirty, take cheap shots and try to hurt other opponents!! I’m never going to intentionally try and hurt another player but we constantly allow this in the league!"

Micah Parsons

@MicahhParsons11

When he says others things that means , play dirty, take cheap shots and try to hurt other opponents!! I’m never going to intentionally try and hurt another player but we constantly allow this in the league! twitter.com/DDuggan21/stat…

Dan Duggan

@DDuggan21

Gates said they were talking trash and, "I told him, 'Come on, I know you want to.' He took me up on it."

The self-deprecating Gates added, "I'm not the best football player, so I've got to do other things to try to help out the team."

2849

224

Gates said they were talking trash and, "I told him, 'Come on, I know you want to.' He took me up on it."

The self-deprecating Gates added, "I'm not the best football player, so I've got to do other things to try to help out the team."

When he says others things that means , play dirty, take cheap shots and try to hurt other opponents!! I’m never going to intentionally try and hurt another player but we constantly allow this in the league! twitter.com/DDuggan21/stat…

As for Micah Parsons, he and the Cowboys had the last laugh in the Thanksgiving Day game versus the Giants.

---

Micah Parsons and his dominant performance versus the New York Giants In Week 12

The All-Pro linebacker put on a show on Thanksgiving for the Dallas Cowboys against the New York Giants. Micah Parsons had three tackles and two sacks on quarterback Micah Parsons in the Cowboys' 28 - 20 victory. His two sacks marked the linebacker's fifth game with at least two sacks. He currently ranks second in the league in sacks with 12 in the 2022-2023 season.

As for Nick Gates, there's no footage of Parsons punching him in the game. No one is saying that the Giants center, who turns 27 years old on November 27th, is lying.

However, this just adds fuel to this rivalry, which will pick up again next season. Yet, both teams could face one another in this season's playoffs. That would be quite something to watch for the neutral, let alone the fans of these franchises.

---

If you use any of the above quotes, please H/T Sportskeeda.

---

​