Why was Dak Prescott questioned by Dallas Police? Everything we know so far about allegations against Cowboys QB
Dak Prescott recently gave an interview to the Dallas police in an attempt to prove his innocence in an alleged sexual assault from 2017. In March, the Dallas Cowboys quarterback filed a lawsuit against Victoria Shores and her attorneys, Yoel Zehaie and Bethel Zehaie.
He claimed that Shores and her attorneys were attempting to extort $100 million from him to settle the alleged sexual assault mentioned above.
Per the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, earlier this month Prescott was sent a letter by Shores' attorneys.
The letter mentioned that Victoria will be "Willing to forego pursuing criminal charges, along with disclosing this information to the public, in exchange for compensating her for the mental anguish she has suffered.”
Prescott immediately refuted the allegations and told Star-Telegram:
"She is trying to get $100 million from me to ‘not report’ a rape case I obviously did not do."
The Cowboys quarterback's attorney Levi McCathern confirmed the news of the interview with the Dallas police which took place at DPD headquarters. He also claimed that Prescott did nothing wrong, and the truth would come to light. McCathern said:
“We reported their criminal behavior to the Prosper Police Department and have been fully cooperative with them. When Ms. Shores doubled down on her false claim of sexual assault and reported it to the Dallas Police Department, we proactively reached out to cooperate with them as well.
"Dak has nothing to hide. He did nothing wrong. He has and will continue to fully cooperate with any investigation, knowing the truth is on his side.”
The alleged incident reportedly occurred in the parking lot of the XTC Cabaret strip club in Dallas on February 2, 2017. Prescott knew Shores before the incident, but they were never in a relationship. Prescott's attorney previously claimed that the two spent time together in a group setting on the day of the alleged assault.
Last week Shores' attorney also filed that lawsuit against the three-time Pro Bowler in Dallas County. The Dallas Police are actively investigating Prescott's extortion claims against Victoria Shores.
Could Dak Prescott get suspended by the NFL?
The NFL has always had a strict approach towards players violating the NFL’s personal conduct policy. In recent years many players have been suspended by the league.
Back in 2017, the NFL suspended former Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott for six games without pay for his involvement in an alleged domestic violence case. Similarly, in 2022 the league suspended Deshaun Watson for 11 games and was fined $5 million for accusations of sexual harassment and assault.
However, it doesn't seem likely that Dak Prescott will face any disciplinary action. The Cowboys quarterback has denied all the allegations against him and until the court finds him guilty, the league will not suspend him. This incident is quite different from Watson and Elliot's situation, which is why Commissioner Roger Goodell is unlikely to step in.
List of NFL players suspended for violating the league's personal conduct policy in the last five years:
- Deshaun Watson: 11 games and fined $5 million.
- Antonio Brown: Eight games (Violations of NFL's personal conduct policy)
- Derrius Guice: Six games (Domestic violence)
- Kareem Hunt: Eight games (Assualt caught on video)
- Jarran Reed: Six games (Assualt allegations)
- Richie Incognito: Two games (Disorderly conduct)
- Jameis Winston: Three games (Accused of touching a female inappropriately)
- Jimmy Smith: Four games (Domestic violence)
- Mychal Kendricks: Eight games (Insider trading)
Dak Prescott's Cowboys future: QB set to hit free agency in 2025
Dak Prescott was not offered a contract extension by the Dallas Cowboys this offseason, and he will be an unrestricted free agent next year. The 30-year-old quarterback is coming off the best season of his career, but the franchise was not ready to offer him a new deal this year.
This doesn't necessarily mean that the upcoming season will be the last one for Prescott in Dallas, as the team could potentially re-sign him in the free agency. However, like in Kirk Cousins' case, if a team offers a lucrative deal to the quarterback, the Cowboys might lose him for free.
Prescott is expected to receive a contract worth around $60 million per year. As mentioned above, if there is a bidding war next year for the former Rookie of the Year, then Jerry Jones' team might not be able to afford to bring him back.
The Cowboys didn't spend much in the free agency as they have to save money for CeeDee Lamb and Micah Parson's upcoming contract extensions. As a result, there is no certainty that their franchise quarterback will play for them beyond this season.
This past season Prescott threw for 4,516 yards, 36 touchdowns, and nine interceptions in 17 games. He had a passer rating of 105.9 and came close to winning the MVP award.