FRISCO, Texas -- Closing in on the one-year anniversary of suffering a compound fracture and dislocation of his right ankle, Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott has not watched a replay of the injury this week in getting ready to face the New York Giants again.
“I definitely fast-forward through that play. I’ve watched that play a couple of times, and when it comes up, I can say I watch the beginning of it but not the end of the run,” Prescott said. “I don’t think much about it. It’s kind of past it and it’s really not something I care to see and know that I’ve done a lot to get past it.”
Before the start of his Thursday news conference, a standup backdrop nearly fell on Prescott, which he laughed off as an “omen” for even discussing the play in which Giants defensive back Logan Ryan fell on his right ankle and caused the injury that forced him to miss the season and endure two surgeries and month of rehab.
However, earlier in the summer, Prescott said he has been able to laugh about the injury.
“I don’t know what I was doing trying to bang my leg,” Prescott said, referring to the moments after the injury. “I know I was trying to just get it right, make it look normal so I could try to get off the field. When I look back, as I say, I don’t know if it was shock, obviously not feeling it all and me trying to bang it straight. It’s just like, ‘What am I doing?’ That’s what allows me to laugh about it. Yeah, wow.”
At the time, AT&T Stadium fell silent when Prescott was injured, and both sidelines were affected. The Cowboys lost their leader, and the Giants coaching staff had numerous ex-Cowboys staffers on their team, including offensive coordinator Jason Garrett, the former Dallas head coach.
“It was a really tough moment for me or really anyone who has been around him,” Garrett said. “Dak is a special guy. Have a great relationship with him. A great friendship with him, and he’s someone who has made my life significantly better. When you see a guy like that, who you are competing against go down and you know it’s a serious injury, the human side of everybody comes out. Nobody wants to see injuries in this game. Nobody wants to see injuries to people they love and care about. That was not an easy moment for me or anyone that was close to him.”
Before he was carted off the field, Prescott said he kept saying, “'Thank you, God,' just over and over and over. Just trying to find any bit of comfort right there.”
In the locker room, before going to a local hospital, he was met by owner and general manager Jerry Jones and executive vice president Stephen Jones.
“He just came in there, obviously him and Stephen emotional, gave me a hug and said, ‘We’ll make it OK,’” said Prescott, who signed a four-year, $160 million contract in March. “Obviously, that meant a lot just knowing the situation and what the position I was in. But just to see those guys in that time to hear that. It was just a little bit of comfort, I guess.”
The injury came a quarter after Prescott caught a touchdown pass from wide receiver Cedrick Wilson, quite a juxtaposition of emotions.
“That was my first receiving touchdown in the NFL. I waited for that for a long time,” Prescott said. “I was excited about that. But then shortly after, obviously, that happened. But just part of it. Just shows in this life you never know what’s coming and just got to be thankful and grateful for every moment you have.”