When it comes to Dak Prescott’s battle with depression, the Dallas Cowboys quarterback took it on a personal level.
In a recent interview, Prescott discussed his brother’s suicide for the first time. Prescott’s brother, Jace, was 31 when he took his own life in April. According to Dak, this opened up a wave of depression.
FS1’s Skip Bayless openly questioned Prescott’s ability to be a leader, while he admitted that he suffers from depression.
“If you reveal publicly any little weakness, it can affect your team’s ability to believe in you in the toughest spots and it definitely could encourage others on the other side to come after you,” Bayless said on Undisputed on Thursday.
Bayless heard the comments and responded later in the afternoon. Prescott stated that he does not want to hide from his mental health.
“No, I think that’s a fake leader. Being a leader is about being genuine and being real,” Dak said via Cowboys reporter Jori Epstein of USA Today.
Prescott has been everything a team should want in a team. Prescott also talked about the national anthem protests, which is another sensitive topic.
Last Wednesday, Prescott was asked about his thoughts on players around the league standing or kneeling for the national anthem. He had this to say:
We're talking with Cowboys QB Dak Prescott right now. Important to him not to hide mental health challenges. Without mental health, can't lead. Not just about looking tough.
"No," Dak said, "I think that’s a fake leader. Being a leader is about being genuine and being real."
— Jori Epstein (@JoriEpstein) September 10, 2020
“It’s about expressing yourself,” Prescott said, via USA Today. “I wouldn’t say it’s going to be about expressing one idea. That’s where we are as a country right now. Individuals have different thoughts, different perceptions and different feelings than their neighbor. So for you to force your opinion and your perceptions on somebody I think isn’t very important right now.”