National Football League

Cowboys' Dak Prescott apologizes after condoning fan behavior

Updated Jan. 19, 2022 4:49 p.m. ET

Emotions tend to run high after a loss, especially one that ends your season.

Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott was a prime example of those emotions following the Cowboys' heartbreaking 23-17 loss to the San Francisco 49ers on Super Wild Card Weekend, a defeat that had Dallas pointing fingers at the referees following the game.

Penalized 14 times for 89 yards, and having their last-second attempt to spike the ball and stop the clock for one final play go awry, fans trashed the field of AT&T Stadium following the game, with their targets appearing to be the officials.

When Prescott got word of it during his postgame press conference, he surprisingly applauded the behavior of the fans.

Now, after having 48 hours to sit and reflect, Prescott has not only walked back those comments, but publicly apologized to the referees for his words in a thread of tweets posted on Tuesday.

Prescott wasn't at his best after the game on Sunday, or during it.

After throwing for a Cowboys franchise-record 37 passing touchdowns during the regular season, he only threw one passing touchdown in the loss to the 49ers to go along with an interception.

The frustration of his play, and the loss, probably led to the comments from Prescott following the game, but they were still surprising according to Shannon Sharpe, who commended Prescott for his apology on "Undisputed."

"He's very, very measured in his responses," Sharpe said. "This seemed so far out of character from what I have known him to be since he's been in Dallas. I was shocked."

Shannon Sharpe reacts to Dak Prescott's apology

Shannon Sharpe explains why he likes Dak Prescott's apology but wished it came on Sunday night or Monday.

Prescott is nominated for the Walter Payton Man of the Year Award, which is why his comments were viewed as out of character by many following the loss.

Skip Bayless appreciated Prescott's apology, but didn't like the "circumstances it was forced" under, due to a statement released by the NBA Referees Association.

"The NBA Referees Association issued a statement condemning him," Bayless said. "Well, if the NBA referees came out of left field with this, could the NFL referees have been far behind? It would almost force their hand to respond in kind, to thank the NBA Referees Association and then double down on what the NBA referees said."

Prescott admitted to making a lapse in judgment with his comments and will now look to put them into the rearview mirror –– along with last weekend's loss.