Prescott regrets comments on fans’ abuse of officials
Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott issued an apology for having claimed that Dallas fans deserved praise for throwing debris from stands at the officiating crew at the end of Sunday’s home playoff loss to the San Francisco 49ers.
“I deeply regret the comments I made regarding the officials after the game on Sunday,” Prescott wrote on Twitter. “I was caught up in the emotion of a disappointing loss and my words were uncalled for and unfair.”
The 49ers’ 23-17 victory ended in bizarre fashion when Prescott ran with the ball and got tackled as the seconds ticked down. With the Cowboys out of timeouts, they quickly assembled at the line of scrimmage in an effort to snap the ball and immediately spike it to stop the clock for one more play. Dallas then lost precious seconds when umpire Ramon George pushed his way through its offensive line to pick up the ball and re-spot it. The game ended as Prescott spiked the ball.
As game officials and members of both teams ran off the field at the Cowboys’ AT&T Stadium, some fans threw items at them. After the game, Prescott said it was “sad” to think that fans could treat players in that manner.
When a reporter then suggested to the 28-year-old quarterback that the debris was being aimed instead at officials, Prescott said of the fans, “Credit to them, then.”
With a couple of days to reconsider his stance, Prescott took to social media to express contrition.
“I hold the NFL Officials in the highest regard and have always respected their professionalism and the difficulty of their jobs,” he tweeted. “The safety of everyone who attends a game or participates on the field of a sporting event is a very serious matter.”
Eagles want Hurts to remain starter
The Philadelphia Eagles say Jalen Hurts will be the team’s starting quarterback in 2022.
“We talk about Jalen and the growth he had, really as a firstyear starter and second-year player, and leading this team to the playoffs,” general manager Howie Roseman said Wednesday, just three days after a 31-15 loss at Tampa Bay in the wildcard round.
“I’m tremendously impressed by his work ethic and his leadership. The last time we talked was during camp and we said we wanted to see him take the bull by the horn, and he certainly did that.”
Mayfield undergoes surgery on shoulder
Baker Mayfield has shifted into comeback mode.
The Browns quarterback had successful surgery Wednesday to repair a torn labrum in his left
shoulder, an injury that affected his play, led to a disappointing season and raised doubts about his future in Cleveland.
The operation was performed in Los Angeles by Dr. Orr Limpisvasti, the team physician for the Anaheim Ducks who examined Mayfield’s shoulder during the season.
Mayfield, who only missed one game with the injury, will need up to six months of rehab, but is expected to be fully recovered by the time the Browns hold offseason workouts — assuming, of course, he’s still with the team.
Partly because of the injury affecting his throwing mechanics, Mayfield struggled and his uneven play contributed to the Browns (8-9) falling well short of expectations or making the postseason. He threw seven interceptions in his last three games.
Odds and ends
The NFL fined Tampa Bay Buccaneers coach Bruce Arians $50,000 for slapping one of his own players, safety Andrew Adams, during Sunday’s NFC playoff victory over the Philadelphia Eagles. Arians came off the Buccaneers’ sideline, a few steps onto the field, and struck Adams with his open left hand on the side of Adams’s helmet. Arians said later he was trying to make certain that Adams would not be penalized for pulling an Eagles player off the pileup of players at the end of a play. Arians said he will appeal the fine. …
The Green Bay Packers have released defensive lineman Kingsley Keke, who made eight starts this season but hadn’t played at all in their past three games. The 2019 fifth-round pick from Texas A&M had 23 tackles and 2½ sacks in 12 games.