FRISCO, Texas – Dak Prescott took to social media to issue an apology on Tuesday night.
In a series of tweets, Prescott apologized for comments he made about the NFL's officiating crew in the Cowboys' 23-17 playoff loss to San Francisco on Sunday afternoon.
"I was caught up in the emotion of a disappointing loss and my words were uncalled for and unfair," Prescott said.
He added: "That was a mistake on my behalf, and I am sorry."
Prescott was at the center of a surreal play at the conclusion of a play. Facing a 2nd-and-1 near midfield with 14 seconds to play and no timeouts, the Cowboys ran a quarterback draw, which required the offense to regroup quickly. As Prescott was trying to situate himself to spike the ball and stop the clock, he was hit from behind by the game's umpire as he went to reset the ball for play.
"I also think, if I don't get hit from behind, it's clean and we're clocking the ball with – at minimum, a second. If not two or three on the clock," Prescott said on Sunday afternoon.
That incident, combined with the Cowboys accruing 14 penalty flags for 89 yards on the day, prompted some frustrated fans to throw garbage in the direction of officials as they jogged off the field.
When notified that had happened, Prescott said of the fans: "Credit to them, then."
The comments immediately drew scrutiny, standing out as a rare public misstep by the Cowboys' quarterback.
In his apology, Prescott also said: "I hold the NFL Officials in the highest regard and have always respected their professionalism and the difficulty of their jobs. The safety of everyone who attends a game or participates on the field of a sporting event is a very serious matter."
