For the first time since the start of training camp last August, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones and executive vice president Stephen Jones answered questions from reporters in a news conference on Wednesday. There was a significant reason for this gathering of reporters, the first time speaking with Jones in person since last year’s annual February scouting combine.
Dak Prescott takes his job as Dallas Cowboys quarterback very seriously.
It’s arguably the most visible position in all of team sports. With it comes immense on-field scrutiny. Off the field, there’s also an immense platform to impact lives in a positive way.
Prescott understands and embraces both.
As he prepares for his fifth NFL training camp, hoping to lead the Cowboys back to the playoffs, Prescott has continued to take an active role toward advancing social justice in the U.S. in the months since George Floyd, a 46-year-old Black man, died in Minneapolis police custody on May 25.
In early June, Prescott announced he will pledge $1 million to “improve our police training and address systematic racism through education and advocacy in our country.
When I pledged to go a million dollars, honestly it could be more, it could be way more,” Prescott said Wednesday via conference call. “I just wanted to make a pledge to say that I’m here and I’m here for the people to help create a better culture within our law enforcement so we can gain that trust.
Recently Prescott also wrote a letter to Oklahoma governor Kevin Stitt and the Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board calling for the release of Julius Jones, a Black death row inmate sentenced to death for a 1999 murder in the state.
“I’ve been blessed with an amazing platform, and a platform obviously to be able to touch and be able to speak and be able to inspire so many different people with my voice,” Prescott said. “I think it’s important and sometimes I feel obligated to do so.”
Players, coaches and staff in other professional sports leagues have shown support for the Black Lives Matter message in various ways since their respective restarts during the COVID-19 pandemic. Many have kneeled for the national anthem in peaceful protest of social injustice.
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