David Irving Blasts Cowboys: 'I Hated Working For 'America's Team'

Most of all, at The Star, the former Cowboys pass-rusher Irving wore out his welcome due to a lack of "want-to.'' His latest remarks re-establish that

FRISCO - David Irving won't turn 28 until August. He is 6-7 and 290 pounds. He's a pass-rusher, a bright guy and his “dinosaur”-level presence has allowed him a level of spotty productivity.

So why didn't the Dallas Cowboys sign him? I make it clear below in a sort-of deep dive into his Dallas history ... but now, Irving is making it even more clear in a Raiders-related conversation.

“I hated going to work for the Cowboys,” Irving recently told The Athletic. “A Cowboy is all 'hardy har har' and all this 'America’s Team' stuff.''

What Irving is suggesting here is that the Cowboys are "image-minded'' and "marketing-minded.'' He's not the first to suggest these. We've done the same thing as we've written about '#53Brands.''

In the parlance, Irving wants his audience to know that he'd prefer to "keep it real.''

"It was inconceivable a year ago to many people that I’d be in a position to sign with the Raiders,'' Irving wrote on Twitter on Thursday, announcing the news of his getting a second contract in Vegas. "Big thanks to Coach (Rod) Marinelli for always having my back, and Coach (Jon) Gruden for believing in me.''

READ MORE: Cowboys Ex David Irving Signs With Raiders

Irving was largely just a practice-squad guy in Vegas last year, so in many ways, he's back where he started when Dallas plucked him off the Chiefs practice-squad in 2015.

During his four-year stint with the Cowboys from 2015-18, he played 37 games and in the first 25 of those recorded 12 sacks. He earned acclaim and attention when in an October 2016 win over Green Bay he was named NFC Defensive Player of the Week, when he forced three fumbles, recovering one, had a sack, and batted down a pass - all while playing only 19 snaps in the game.

Things went downhill from there in Dallas. His promising career was sidetracked largely by his involvement in the league’s substance abuse program, an issue that the NFL has now softened on. David also found himself embroiled in a family matter, custody of his daughter - an understandably emotional distraction.

But most of all, at The Star, the former Cowboys pass-rusher Irving wore out his welcome due to a lack of "want-to.''In the judgment of even his greatest supporters in the building, Irving enjoyed football on Sundays, but not so much the other six days of preparation. He used to semi-joke that he could impact games without bothering to practice, and that seemed true, until ...

At the end of the 2018 season, Irving - who would later make a habit of failing to show up for mandatory drug tests - made a habit of not showing up for work. An ankle injury had sidelined him, but the Cowboys were frustrated, mystified, as to why he didn't report to The Star anyway, for treatment, coaching, film-study, lifting, bonding, all of it.

At one point, staffers advised owner Jerry Jones that Irving's ankle was probably OK, but that the defensive lineman still really didn't want to play as much as he pretended he did. Jones, sources told us at the time, wanted to see for himself. So he requested a personal on-field look at an Irving workout.

David - buoyed by his "don't-need-to-practice'' confidence - happily complied.

It was a disaster.

Irving could barely make it through a collection of wind sprints before he dramatically folded himself to the turf, exhausted.

And that was the end of David Irving in Dallas.

For 2020, he got a deal with the Raiders, courtesy of his former Dallas mentor, Marinelli, the man who gave him the nickname “Dino.” And now he's bounced back to Vegas.

It is hoped this is a positive football experience for Irving, and that his decision to become an activist and businessman involved in cannabis and CBD products, along with his passion for fatherhood, all come together nicely for him.

READ MORE: What Are Cowboys Odds For Next Super Bowl?

Irving told CowboysSI.com before the reinstatement, “I miss football, but I don’t miss the NFL. Because it’s all politics.”

But now maybe David Irving has a chance to have it all - a chance that he was frequently given in Dallas until the chances ran out.

"I belong in Las Vegas with the Raiders,'' he said. “You’ve got some real people here who can appreciate a unique specimen like myself. I am a bit different on and off the field, and they understand that.''

The Cowboys tried to "understand him,'' and did not. That much - no matter what one thinks of the "Cowboy hardy har har'' accusation - is true.

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