Laying on a sideline training table in sweats and a beanie during the third quarter of Friday night’s preseason finale for the Dallas Cowboys, Micah Parsons was the only member of the team not wearing a jersey inside AT&T Stadium. Cowboys coach Brian Schottenheimer said the situation would be handled internally, this coming after he acknowledged that Parsons received an MRI on his back due to recent tightness.
“Without talking to Micah, I need to figure out what he was doing and why he was doing it,” Schottenheimer said on a conference call Saturday, via ESPN. “So, until I talk to him, I’m obviously not going to talk about it.”
Parsons replied to a post Saturday on social media indicating he was not laying on the training table throughout the game, doing so only briefly in the second half.
“The way media shapes perception and narratives is wild—and if he hadn’t said anything, everyone would’ve just run with it. I’d never disrespect the guys out there fighting for their lives,” Parsons said.
Dallas Cowboys’ Trevon Diggs speaks for Micah Parsons postgame, provides health update on both
Garrett Podell
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones addressed the contract holdout, and Schottenheimer acknowledged the need to account for Parsons’ up-in-the-air status for the opener against Philadelphia Eagles on Sept. 4.
“I think [defensive end] is an area that we’re pretty deep,” Schottenheimer said.
Schottenheimer previously said he felt “good” about his top defensive player starting in the first game.
Several of Parsons’ teammates have voiced their frustrations previously on his contract situation, including CeeDee Lamb and Dak Prescott.
“I wish everything could be handled and everything could be taken care of,” Trevon Diggs said. “He’s one of our star players. You know he’s the heart and soul of this team. I just wish things weren’t how they are, different circumstances. You know everybody has to do what’s best for them at the end of the day. I feel like just leave it in God’s hands, and God will figure it out for everyone.”
Schottenheimer said the team expects Diggs to be activated soon from the PUP list and added to the 53-man roster.