Cowboys Assistant Coach Paul In Hospital With Medical Emergency

Dallas Cowboys Cancel Work As Assistant Coach Markus Paul Is In Serious Condition

FRISCO - Markus Paul, the Dallas Cowboys strength and conditioning coach since 2018, is in serious condition and hospitalized on Tuesday, the family saying that Paul, 54, is "in the process of undergoing further medical tests.''

The Cowboys earlier in the day cancelled practice for Tuesday due to what the team said was a non-COVID-19 related medical emergency involving a Cowboys staffer. Head coach Mike McCarthy's 10:30 a.m. media briefing was also canceled.

The Cowboys were set to hold their first full practice following their win over the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday. Dallas is on a short practice week with a NFC East Division showdown vs. the Washington Football Team on Thanksgiving Day. 

They will now attempt to move on while dealing with the emotion of the illness of a football family member. 

BREAKING: #Cowboys Medical Emergency Causes Canceled Practice https://t.co/Em60cU4aWz via @SInow pic.twitter.com/bheg5qiJBF

— fishsports ✭ (@fishsports) November 24, 2020

Paul has a lengthy history as an NFL staffer, largely under the mentorship of former Cowboys strength and conditioning coach Mike Woicik, with whom he first worked at Syracuse, where Paul, a native of Orlando, Florida, played college football. Over the course of Paul's career, he has worked alongside Woicik in various stops, including as a multiple-time Super Bowl winner while on the staff of coach Bill Belichick with the New England Patriots.

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Paul, who was a Chicago Bears fourth-round pick in the 1989 NFL Draft, had a four-year career as a part-time starter at safety for the Bears and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He then coached with the Saints, Jets and Giants before coming to Dallas.

Our thoughts and prayers are with the Paul family and the Cowboys family as we await further information.