Dalvin Cook Won't Play Against Lions After Father's Death

Cook has returned to Miami to be with his family after losing his father, James Cook, at age 46.

Vikings running back Dalvin Cook won't play on Sunday against the Lions. He has returned home to Miami to be with his family after the passing of his father, James Cook, on Tuesday. James was 46 years old.

This is awful, tragic news. James Cook was reportedly diabetic, but his death on Tuesday was rather sudden and unexpected. Cook apparently wanted to finish out his strong season in Week 17, but heard the news and prioritized returning home to be with his younger siblings.

On Tuesday, Dalvin re-posted this picture of him and his father to his Instagram story:

James Cook's last Instagram post, on December 21st, congratulated Dalvin on making the 2021 Pro Bowl with the caption "Proud of u son." His feed is filled with posts highlighting the accomplishments of Dalvin and his siblings, one of whom is Georgia running back James Cook, who is four years younger. Dalvin also has three sisters and an older brother.

Cook starred at Miami Central High School and played his college football at Florida State. The Vikings selected him in the second round back in 2017. He has had a second consecutive breakout season this year, finishing with 356 touches for 1,918 total yards and 17 touchdowns in just 13.5 games.

Cook made the Pro Bowl for a second consecutive year and was also named the winner of the Korey Stringer Good Guy Award, voted on by local media members and given to the Vikings player who shows the most cooperation and professionalism with the media.

The Vikings' final game of the season is a meaningless one in Detroit. They were officially eliminated from playoff contention last Friday against the Saints.

Our thoughts and prayers are with Dalvin and the entire Cook family after hearing this awful news.