Cowboys Coach Markus Paul Passes Away While 'Surrounded by Love'

FRISCO - Markus Paul, the Dallas Cowboys strength and conditioning coach since 2018, passed away on Wednesday night. He was 54. Earlier in the day, his niece,

FRISCO - Markus Paul, the Dallas Cowboys strength and conditioning coach since 2018, passed away on Wednesday night. He was 54.

Earlier in the day, his niece, Antoinette, asked for prayers in a posting on social media:

"My uncle Markus is surrounded by lots of love! His wife has been by his side and his children were flown in last night. His father, siblings and nieces are also flying over to Dallas this morning. Keep praying and believing everyone. He is in the best of hands!''

On Wednesday night, the Cowboys issued a statement announcing Paul's passing, with a comment from team owner Jerry Jones and from head coach Mike McCarthy.

“The loss of a family member is a tragedy, and Markus Paul was a loved and valued member of our family,'' Jones said. "He was a pleasant and calming influence in our strength room and throughout The Star. His passion for his work and his enthusiasm for life earned him great respect and admiration from all of our players and the entire organization. We offer our love and support to his family in this very difficult time. Our hearts are broken for his family and all of the individuals whose lives he touched and made better.”

Added McCarthy: “We extend our love, strength and support to Markus’ family during this most challenging of times and ask that their privacy be respected moving forward. Markus Paul was a leader in this building. He earned the players respect and attention because he cared so much and was a naturally gifted communicator—both on the personal and professional levels. He handled every situation, sometimes with a smile and a pat on the back, and sometimes with tough love. He had innate toughness in a job that requires that quality, and he was admired throughout the NFL by his peers and the players he coached. It was a privilege to work with him as a coach and laugh with him as a friend. Markus did everything the right way.”

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 death of a football family member in Paul, who died at Plano Presbyterian Hospital, the cause of death not announced.

Paul had 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 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 and then with the New York Giants.

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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 four NFL clubs before coming to Dallas.

The team will recognize and remember Paul prior to the Thanksgiving Day game tomorrow afternoon. Our thoughts and prayers are with the Paul family and the Cowboys family.