Dak Prescott's 'Promise': On SI's Brilliant Dallas Cowboys Cover Story

The quarterback allows SI's Greg Bishop deep into his psyche, and covers the childhood dreams, the broken ankle, the contract negotiations and the Prescott family tragedies that a year ago drove Dak toward anxiety and depression.

FRISCO - This week's Sports Illustrated's cover story features the Dallas Cowboys. Over the course of SI's decades of excellence running alongside the high profile of "America's Team,'' that is not especially unusual.

But this Dak Prescott cover story is not the norm.

The words are blue, the handwriting tidy. He holds the paper delicately by the top corners.

Jace MacKenzie Prescott
A Life Taken to Save Millions
You’ll never be forgotten for one second.
-Why didn’t you ask me for help?
-Did you tell someone how bad you hurting?
-Do you know how many people you affected?
-Do you know you’re adored, admired, loved?

Prescott wrote those sentences on April 23, 2020, the day he’ll always remember but would give anything to forget. The night before, after weeks filled with anxiety and depression, not to mention a contract saga that dragged on without end, he slept soundly for the first time in forever. He woke up after 8 a.m. to his father and friends standing in his bedroom with red eyes and anguished faces. His phone looked like a slot machine, pinging and flashing with hundreds of missed calls and unanswered texts.

The quarterback allows SI's Greg Bishop deep into his psyche, and covers the childhood dreams, the broken ankle, the contract negotiations and the Prescott family tragedies that a year ago drove Dak toward anxiety and depression.

“Football has always been my getaway, my peace,” he says. “There’s no way to put into words the fact that, yeah, the last time I was out here, I got my leg snapped, and there was a lot of uncertainty in the world.” Now, he says, “when you’re doing so much, just being intentional and purposeful, it’s amazing to get to do the things you love to do again.”

Prescott follows that with a promise: “I’m telling you, I’m going to be a better player in every aspect when I’m back. A lot of the things that have happened, they've allowed me to be here, but I don't even know if I've reaped the strength yet. What I mean is … that's to come.”

Still, this isn’t a fairy tale. Not yet, anyway. ...

This is true enough. It's not a fairy tale. What it is: a must-read SI cover story on a unique personality in Dak Prescott.

READ MORE: Dak is a 'Stud Human'