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Report: Cowboys' Dak Prescott Fined $25K for Comments About Refs After 49ers Game
January 20, 2022
The NFL fined Dak Prescott $25,000 for his postgame comments about the officiating in the Dallas Cowboys' 23-17 defeat to the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Wild Card Round, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter.
Some Cowboys fans threw their trash in the direction of the referees as they exited the field. Prescott mockingly told reporters, "Credit to them," when alerted to the incident.
"The fans felt the same way as us," the two-time Pro Bowler said. "I guess that’s why the refs took off and got out of there so fast. I think everybody is upset with the way this thing played out."
Much of his frustration likely centered around the final play of the game. Prescott scrambled for 17 yards and was unable to get off another snap to spike the ball before time expired.
The Cowboys were also flagged 14 times for 89 yards. Seemingly every time they executed a big play toward the end of the game, a penalty undid whatever progress they made.
Given the nature of his comments, a fine was inevitable for Prescott.
The National Basketball Referees Association even weighed in to say it "condemns the comments by [Prescott] condoning violence against game officials" and "encourage[s] the NFL to take action to discourage this deplorable behavior in the future."
Prescott has since apologized.
"I deeply regret the comments I made regarding the officials after the game on Sunday," he tweeted Tuesday. "I was caught up in the emotion of a disappointing loss and my words were uncalled for and unfair."
He followed up to say he "hold[s] the NFL Officials in the highest regard and have always respected their professionalism and the difficulty of their jobs."