Thanksgiving Tears: Cowboys Pregame Honors Markus Paul

Thanksgiving Tears: The Dallas Cowboys Thanksgiving Pregame Honors The Late Coach Markus Paul - First In An Emotional And Non-Official Manner

ARLINGTON - As much as any member of the Dallas Cowboys roster, center Joe Looney is a person of faith. As much as any member of the team, linebacker Sean Lee embodies leadership. So while there is planned a special ceremony to honor memory of Markus Paul, the Dallas Cowboys strength and conditioning coach who passed away this week at age 54, the players have already taken it upon themselves to do it their way.

How that unfolded here at AT&T Stadium before the team plays host to Washington in a Thanksgiving afternoon meeting: Looney led a team prayer, surrounded by virtually every man available. And then Lee took over, with an emotional pep talk delivered while tears streamed down his face.

Typically around this time on game day, you see a pregame hype huddle led by Sean Lee or Zeke.

Today, it’s a prayer circle, being led by Joe Looney. Undoubtedly with Markus Paul in mind. pic.twitter.com/6ZaG6BUjOh

— David Helman (@davidhelman_) November 26, 2020

The Cowboys are also wearing "MP'' stickers on their ballcaps and helmets ... again, with more to come.

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.”

The Cowboys 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 on Wednesday night.

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.

Our thoughts and prayers are with the Paul family and the Cowboys family.