Former Mississippi State quarterback Dak Prescott allegedly hosted a birthday party that included Dallas teammate Ezekiel Elliott and possibly between 10-30 other friends. Social media is now having a field day.
Dak Prescott is in the news again, but not for a contract this time. The former Mississippi State quarterback is now under fire for hosting a birthday party and possibly ignoring the CDC guidelines for social distancing during the coronavirus pandemic.
The report first surfaced on TMZ.com and then was quickly picked up by every major news outlet in the country, drawing quite a range of reactions (few of which are positive).
Having possibly 30 or more people in his home, including teammate Ezekiel Elliott, and having open food containers in an almost buffet-style setting didn’t seem to go over well with the media or some fans.
Reactions to Dak Prescott possibly breaking quarantine and social distancing guidelines
Here are a few choice tweets.
Columnist and author Mike Freeman seemed incredulous that Prescott would host such a gathering.
Do Dak and Zeke think they are virus-proof? That covid-19 is a Cowboys fan? This is so unnecessarily careless.
— mike freeman (@mikefreemanNFL) April 11, 2020
Pandemic be damned, Dak Prescott hosts a party for 30 - ProFootballTalk https://t.co/bsklOm9dE9
ESPN analyst and former LSU star Marcus Spears called it “disrespectful”.
"This was one of the most disrespectful things I've seen in a long time."@mspears96 went OFF about hearing reports that police were called to investigate a potential party at Dak Prescott's house. pic.twitter.com/NsEUSQMLVS
— First Take (@FirstTake) April 13, 2020
The always-vocal Stephen A. Smith expressed disappointment in Dak and Zeke.
I'm incredibly disappointed in @Dak. Makes no sense to do what he did. 30 ppl? 10 ppl? It don’t matter right now pic.twitter.com/z21okF9SkR
— Stephen A Smith (@stephenasmith) April 13, 2020
Of course, despite photos and videos from TMZ, there has been no verification of how many people were at Prescott’s home (obviously more than just he and Zeke) and whether or not they were violating the CDC’s guidelines and the shelter-in-place order currently covering the state of Texas.
"“The Prosper Police Department did respond to the Prescott residence after receiving a report of a potential ‘party,’” said Scott M. Brewer, an assistant chief with the Prosper Police Department, on Saturday night to the Star-Telegram. “The officer was unable to verify the report of a ‘party.’ Therefore, he just reminded the resident of the current CDC guidelines — to include social distancing.”"
If the report is eventually verified, then it was a poor decision by Prescott. But until then, any judgement of Dak should be avoided.
Perhaps having a birthday party, regardless of how many people were in attendance, wasn’t the best idea, but should Dak be vilified for exercising his personal liberties? Some of the reactions, particularly from fans, have been a bit over the top.