FRISCO, TX — Being the quarterback of America’s Team comes with added scrutiny. Dak Prescott blocks out the noise and carries himself with the same poise in the pocket as he does outside the locker room.
Throughout the virtual offseason program, Prescott has continued to use his platform and voice to actively make a difference in combatting social injustice in the U.S. Protests/riots broke out across the country in the months following the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis police custody. Many players, coaches, and staff members across various professional sports leagues have taken to social media to support the Black Lives Matter movement. Back in June, Prescott announced his pledge of $1 million to address systematic racism. He spoke to media for the first time on Wednesday via conference call and discussed his decision.
“ When I pledged to go a million dollars, honestly it could be more, it could be way more. I just wanted to make a pledge to say that I am here and I am here for the people to help create a better culture within our law enforcement system, so we can gain that trust. There’s no reason, still me as a starting quarterback in the NFL should be nervous the moment sirens are turned on, but that’s just the way it is. I think that we can somehow shrink or somehow take down that barrier, those nerves or anxiousness or whatever that may be by bettering our law enforcement.”
“I don’t think the answer is defunding them, “ Prescott continued. “ I think we need protection, we need what they offer, but we all know that there is some corruptness within that, and I think it has to start within as anything does when you’re trying to get the bad out and create good, so that was my pledge, and with my foundation- Faith, Fight, Finish Foundation, we’re working to create a program to try to get in there with the law enforcement. “
With training camp fast approaching, there have been a lot of conversations surrounding national anthem protests. Prescott was asked about his stance on kneeling and once again, he proved why he is in the leadership position he is in.
“ As a football team you want to represent one group. The best part of football is it represents, in a sense, the country. Different people from different economic backgrounds, different social backgrounds, different beliefs, religions, color. Any way you think of, the football team is compiled of all kinds of different places and backgrounds where they come from. We all come together for one common goal and that is to support each other and to go win. I think in anything that we do we want to represent how we can come together and how we can be as one. That is what this country needs to be right now. I think that is what everybody is seeing with the world we are in and the crisis we have going on in our country right now. So, hopefully we can do something all together. But then again, this time is more important to listen…”
Football has always been a source of unity and that is how Prescott hopes the matter of kneeling will be- a unified decision. He believes the best way to be a catalyst for change is to actively listen and pay attention to other people’s experiences/perspectives to understand where they are coming from. Regardless of the result, Prescott is using his platform to make a difference in the community and progress forward.
