“That’s my fault…seeing the reports of how bad it might be…that’s tough!”
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The Dallas Cowboys have received plenty of warranted criticism from the media this NFL season. But on Tuesday, FS1 NFL analyst James Jones’ criticism of quarterback Dak Prescott caught flak for being premature and ultimately untrue.
During his weekly spot on 105.3 The Fan on Tuesday, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones revealed that Prescott would likely head to injured reserve with a hamstring injury he suffered in Sunday’s loss to the Atlanta Falcons.
In response, FS1 NFL analyst James Jones said that Prescott should only miss one or two weeks with the injury, and is “quitting” on the team by potentially going on IR.
“Dak is quitting,” said Jones. “And it’s crazy because it ain’t even funny though. My man is quitting on these dudes. I’ve had a hamstring (injury) plenty of times. And I’m back the next week. “It don’t take no four weeks for you to heal from no hamstring. You’re no Lamar Jackson, you’re not Jalen Hurts. You’re not running, where are you running to? Four weeks? Basically put me on ice for four weeks. No fight, no nothing.
“Is it off the bone or something? Because there is no way you’re telling me you’re out four weeks with no answers, no fight, no nothing for a hamstring. And you’re a quarterback. There ain’t no way.”
On Wednesday, we learned about the severity of the hamstring injury. According to NFL Network’s Jane Slater, the initial diagnosis for Prescott is a partial avulsion of his hamstring tendon partially torn off the bone. He is still reportedly unsure whether he will go on injured reserve and is “seeking other opinions” to potentially return faster than the minimum four weeks he would be sidelined on IR.
Obviously, this diagnosis changed the optics. Any player who has “quit” on his team, as Jones suggested, would have already been on injured reserve. Especially considering a partially torn hamstring injury like Prescott’s typically takes over four weeks to recover from.
This development led many of Jones’ peers in NFL media to mock his premature statement on social media.
“That anyone implied Dak Prescott quit on his team without knowing the full extent of his injury for the purposes of making a headline is really sad,” wrote Cowboys beat writer RJ Ochoa on X. “Dak gets used so often to further people’s agendas, even at the expense of someone saying something so outlandish and false.”
“But Dak Prescott quit on his teammates, right?” wrote Kevin Gray Jr., a podcast host covering Dallas Sports wrote to James Jones.
“Partially torn off the bone, and yet people want to say he quit on his team,” wrote Mike Leslie, a sports anchor of WFAA in Dallas.
Even Emmanuel Acho, a co-host with Jones on The Facility, called for his colleague to issue an apology during Thursday’s edition of the show.
“Ummm, James Jones, I believe you owe Dak Prescott a massive apology tomorrow on The Facility,” wrote Acho. “I told ya to wait til them MRI’s came out!”
Jones did see Acho’s post on X and admitted that he was incorrect in his assessment of the situation.
“Nawww….this can’t wait until tomorrow! That’s my fault…seeing the reports of how bad it might be…that’s tough! God Speed Dak,” wrote Jones.
Chalk this up as a good lesson for Jones to not prematurely throw out hot takes without knowing the entire situation. That he acknowledged and owned up to his mistake is a step in the right direction.
