National Football League

Dak Prescott causes stir by backing Cowboys fans who threw trash at refs

Updated Jan. 17, 2022 9:44 p.m. ET

Frustration boiled over at the end of the Dallas Cowboys' 23-17 NFC wild-card loss to the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday.

That's understandable, given the importance of the game, the rivalry between the franchises and the drama surrounding the wild finish. And the referees ended up being a central focus amidst the chaos of the game's final play.

Dean Blandino breaks down wild ending in Cowboys-49ers

On a controversial final play, Dak Prescott was unable to snap the ball before the game clock expired.

That play resulted in Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott sprinting up the middle on a draw, trying to organize his team for one last play as the final seconds ticked down. His teammates bumped into an official as he attempted to spot the ball, and the whole thing was waved off as time ran out.

Some Cowboys fans were upset that their players were not given the chance to run one final play, and they voiced their displeasure by throwing trash in the direction of officials as they ran off the field.

When asked about the behavior of fans after the game, Prescott thought the trash had been thrown at the players, and he criticized fans for it. When a reporter clarified that the objects were being thrown at referees, he changed his tune.

"Credit to them, then," he said. "Credit to them."

Shannon Sharpe had a huge problem with Prescott's comment, and he explained why on Monday's edition of "Undisputed."

"That's bush league, Dak Prescott," he said. "Why are you encouraging your fan base to throw trash at the officials? They should have been throwing it at your Cowboys. They should've dumped the trash on your head because that's how you played yesterday, Dak Prescott. I'm tired of him and Mike McCarthy placing the blame on someone other than where blame should be placed."

"That's bush league, Dak Prescott."

Dak Prescott said "credit to them" after being told that Cowboys fans had thrown objects at referees.

Sharpe's cohost, Skip Bayless, had a slightly different take, saying that he believed the Cowboys were robbed of the opportunity to have one final play.

"I thought [the umpire] was late getting to the play," he said. "You gotta come on a dead sprint because the game is about to be over. It's up to you, sir, to get to the football as quickly as they get to the football because they were ready."

But Bayless echoed Sharpe's thoughts that Prescott was out of line with his postgame comments on the referees.

"A second reporter gave him a second chance to walk it back, to redeem himself by saying, ‘Is that exactly what you meant?’ And he doubled down," Bayless said. "That was just so wrong. You're the face of the franchise, you make $75 million, and you're condoning fan violence? It was stunning to me."

As for Prescott, the QB had a good fourth quarter, leading Dallas back from a 23-7 deficit to make it close. But overall, his day was not good, as he completed only 23 of his 43 pass attempts (53.5%) for 254 yards, one touchdown and one interception. His passer rating was just 69.3.

The Cowboys also were outgained 169-77 on the ground and committed a whopping 14 penalties in the contest. So when it comes to playing the blame game, perhaps Prescott and the Cowboys would be well-served to look in the mirror.

That's the case Colin Cowherd made on "The Herd."

"You're paying Dak $40 million a year," he said, "I want to see big-boy throws. … I'm paying you to make big-boy throws in crises. I'm not paying you to do a quarterback draw and go down to the last two seconds."

Colin Cowherd: "I want to see big-boy throws"

Colin Cowherd breaks down why he doesn't have a lot of sympathy for a Dallas team that insists on holding on to Mike McCarthy or for Dak Prescott, who has yet to earn his $40 million salary.