Dallas Cowboys' Micah Parsons Advocating to Stop QB Bullying
While Dallas Cowboys linebacker Micah Parsons is a terror to opposing quarterbacks on the field, it's a very different story off of it.
Recently, Parsons has been a vocal defender of some quarterbacks who have come under heavy criticism from NFL fans. He has most notably defended Zach Wilson of the New York Jets and Daniel Jones of the New York Giants, both of whom the Cowboys have already played and beaten this season.
It may seem strange for a player to defend another on an opposing team, especially weeks after playing, but Parsons explained why he does so on Wednesday.
"I just feel like so many times the media just always puts those negative things on certain players," Parsons told reporters Wednesday. "I just think it's almost like bullying online. We're just being social media bullies. You really hate to see that.
Parsons celebrates a big play against Jones and the Giants on Thanksgiving last year.
Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
"It's one thing if you say I'm garbage to my face on the field and we're competing and we're hammering out and we're in the moment. But, it's another thing when a guy can't defend themselves."
Most recently, Parsons came to the defense of Wilson, who just had arguably his best NFL performance by completing 28 of 39 passes for 245 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions in Sunday's narrow loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. Despite his strong game, NBC's Rodney Harrison called Wilson "garbage" in a postgame interview with Chiefs defensive tackle Chris Jones, attempting to bait Jones into echoing the sentiment. Jones kept his own comments respectful, but Harrison rightfully came under heavy fire for his comments, with Parsons being one of his loudest critics.
"You don't know what's going on in the team, and you're just out there calling another man garbage on live TV," Parsons said. "We see that in the draft where guys use these moments where this should be a special moment for a kid and bash him for his past. I just feel like as humans and as people who have these platforms, we should just be better and more mindful of how we talk about people and how those things can impact someone."
Meanwhile, Jones became the subject of criticism after the Giants' 24-3 loss to the Seattle Seahawks on Monday night. This marked the Giants' second blowout loss in two home games after a 40-0 beatdown against the Cowboys in Week 1. However, Parsons believes New York's struggles are less due to Jones and more due to the lack of a supporting cast around him.
"The Daniel Jones play, they talk about Daniel Jones so much, but I saw five people just come free like how is he supposed to make that read when he has six to eight defensive linemen in his face?" Parsons said. "It's just perspective, and I think people need to take better perspective on how they talk about people and how they treat people online."
Beyond being a great player on the field, Parsons has become a notable personality off of it and it's nice to see him using his platform for good.
