"He should know better" - NBA Referees Association slams Dak Prescott for supporting fans who threw trash at match officials
Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott has come under heavy fire for his comments after his team was bundled out of the playoffs by the San Francisco 49ers who won by a score of 23-17.
The game will be remembered for its last play, in which the Cowboys' No. 4 took off on a quarterback draw with time ticking down. He slid to the ground and looked to spike the ball for one last shot. However, the official who was supposed to set the ball was not in position and forced the Cowboys to lose a couple of seconds. Consequently, Dallas were unable to spike the ball in time as the clock ran out.
We're still not over the ending to the Cowboys vs 49ers game! https://t.co/N6rDdWBmYS
This led to fans throwing objects at the officials as they made their way off the ground. Prescott spoke on the incident after the game and gave credit to fans who threw objects at the officials. The National Basketball Referees Association (NBRA) learned of the Dallas quarterback's comments and put him on full blast on social media.
"The NBRA condemns the comments by Dak Prescott condoning violence against game officials. As an NFL leader, he should know better. We encourage the NFL to take action to discourage this deplorable behavior in the future," the NBRA wrote on Twitter.
The NBRA condemns the comments by Dak Prescott condoning violence against game officials. As an NFL leader, he should know better. We encourage the NFL to take action to discourage this deplorable behavior in the future.
It certainly was not a good look seeing objects being thrown from the stands. Prescott's comments only made it worse for one of the most well-known sporting organizations on the planet. It did not take long for the Dallas quarterback to apologize for his comments.
He took to Twitter to express his regret at the words he had chosen.
"I deeply regret the comments I made regarding the officials after the game on Sunday," he wrote. "I was caught up in the emotion of a disappointing loss and my words were uncalled for and unfair."
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.
Another wasted season for Dak Prescott and Dallas Cowboys
Another season that promised so much has ended in disappointment for the Cowboys. In 2016, with both Prescott and Ezekiel Elliott in their rookie seasons, the Cowboys were the number one seed in the NFC before losing their first playoff game at home to Aaron Rodgers.
Sunday's disappointing loss at home will be hard to stomach for the players and all involved. With coordinators Dan Quinn and Kellen Moore likely to take head coaching roles next season, the Cowboys will be left with a vastly different team next year.
The talent is there, but when everything is on the line (as it was on Sunday), the Cowboys, in trademark fashion, come up short. There have been calls for Mike McCarthy to lose his job as the fallout continues, so things will be rather interesting over the next couple of weeks to see what Jerry Jones does with his stagnant team.