For Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott and his brother, Tad, the last year hasn’t been easy. The pair have battled through challenges together and have never wavered.
In April they faced a family tragedy right as the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown was ramping up. The older brother of the two, Jace, passed away at 31 with the cause of death being suicide. Jace Prescott was the one who took care of their mother, Peggy, when she was fighting cancer during Prescott’s career at Mississippi State.
A free agent, Prescott had to process the grief through a turbulent time at work, having the opportunity to negotiate a deal that would change the lives of multiple generations of his family. Only he was unable to reach an agreement with the club after months of negotiations and went into the season playing under the franchise tag.
Early in the season, Prescott opened up about the pandemic as well as the tragedy of his brother and the impact it had on his mental health in an interview with Graham Bensinger.
“I started experiencing emotions I’ve never felt before, anxiety for one,” Prescott said. “I started experiencing depression, I didn’t know necessarily what I was going through.”
The last year also took a toll on Tad, who also spoke in the interview.
“For (Jace) to be in so much pain or whatever it was that was going on and again, me not to recognize it,” Tad Prescott said. “I get the message that he’s gone and it’s like I just failed them all.”
The Cowboys’ front office was vocal in their support of Prescott’s openness and thirst for bringing mental health wellness more into the public conversation.
A month after the interview the Cowboys found themselves in a close game during a tough season against the New York Giants. Prescott ran left on a designed quarterback run and was pulled down from the side awkwardly. Prescott broke his ankle during the fall and would miss the rest of the 2020 season. Having played on the franchise tag, his future in Dallas was unknown.
Fighting through a pandemic, losing a brother, and suffering a season-ending injury during a contract year were all challenges Prescott had to persevere through but he had Tad Prescott at his side.
After a long negotiation entering its third offseason, the two sides finally reached an agreement Monday.
The contract is good for four years and will keep Prescott with the team until he’s 31. The deal also makes him the second-highest-paid quarterback, only behind Kansas City’s Patrick Mahomes
Immediately after the news broke, Tad shared a photo of the two after Dak had gotten off the phone call when the contract was decided on.
When your little brother gets the call. Let’s go @dak time to win the @dallascowboys a Super Bowl. pic.twitter.com/PzlCKejTe5
— Tad Prescott (@86Prescott) March 8, 2021
After a challenging year for the Prescott brothers, this was a moment of triumph that shines through the darkness. Tad believes his brother can bring the Dallas Cowboys their sixth Super Bowl win and the franchise quarterback won’t have to worry about any uncertainty with the team as he returns from injury.
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