Dak Prescott.Photo: Tom Pennington/Getty
NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelisseroreported news of the fineon Thursday, four days after quarterback Prescott and the Dallas Cowboys fell 23-17 to the San Francisco 49ers during Sunday’s wildcard playoff game.
Reps for Prescott and the Cowboys did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment regarding the fine.
At the end of Sunday’s match, fanswere seen throwing bottlesand other items onto the field, some of which hit Cowboys defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence. In apost-game interview, Prescott, 28, initially said the fan reaction was “sad” and criticized how his fellow teammates were treated.
However, when a reporter pointed out that the referees — who were exiting the field at the time — were the intended targets, the quarterback said, “Credit to them then. Credit to them.”
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On Tuesday, Prescott released astatement on the “mistake,” apologizingand saying it was an emotional, immediate reaction to losing the game.
“I hold theNFL Officials in the highest regardand have always respected their professionalism and the difficulty of their jobs,” he continued. “The safety of everyone who attends a game or participates on the field of a sporting event is a very serious matter.”
“That wasa mistake on my behalf, and I am sorry,” the posts concluded.
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Ahead of his apology, the athlete was admonished for his words on social media, as many accused Prescott of encouraging fans to throw trash at referees.
Stephen Jones, executive vice president for the Cowboys, also denounced the actions of the fans in the stands, according toESPN.
“That is just unfortunate,” Jones said Monday on105.3 The Fan. “That is not the way I see our fans. I think we’re a class act. I think there is no place for things like that.
“Understand people being frustrated, but I don’t understand throwing things onto the field where people could get injured. There’s just no place for that,” he stressed.
source: people.com
