NBA Referees Condemn Dak Prescott’s Comment About Fans Throwing Trash at Officials

“We encourage the NFL to take action to discourage this deplorable behavior in the future.”

The National Basketball Referees Association issued a statement expressing their disapproval of comment about referees made by Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott in the Dallas’s 23–17 loss to the 49ers on Sunday.

“The NBRA condemns the comments by Dak Prescott condoning violence against game officials,” the statement said. “As an NFL leader, he should know better. We encourage the NFL to take action to discourage this deplorable behavior in the future.”

The statement comes two days after Prescott—who was initially disappointed by fans throwing trash and debris on the field during Sunday’s game—offered support for fans who threw trash at the officials after the Cowboys’ late-game controversy.

The NBRA condemns the comments by Dak Prescott condoning violence against game officials. As an NFL leader, he should know better. We encourage the NFL to take action to discourage this deplorable behavior in the future.

— NBA Referees (@OfficialNBARefs) January 18, 2022

When Prescott was told fans were throwing debris at officials, he said, “Credit to them then.”

Dallas was looking to complete a late comeback victory against the 49ers. With 14 seconds left and no timeouts remaining in the game, Prescott ran a quarterback draw to the 24-yard line. 

After the run, he got up and handed the ball to his center while the rest of the offensive unit hurried to the line of scrimmage to spike the ball. However, per NFL rules, the referee must touch and spot the ball before the next play can start. 

As the umpire ran from behind the play to do so, and he collided with Prescott and the offensive line, delaying his spotting of the ball. Time ran out before Prescott had the opportunity to kill the clock, ending the game.

The Cowboys finished this season with another wild-card playoff loss and will pick 24th in the 2022 NFL Draft.