Dallas Cowboys star quarterback Dak Prescott spoke at length when asked about the recent photo that surfaced featuring a 14-year-old Jerry Jones during the segregation era at North Little Rock High School in Arkansas. The picture shows Jones observing among a crowd of people attempting to block six Black students from entering the school.
Prescott admitted that he has not “fully processed” the photo but emphasized the need to “give grace…to one another.” The Cowboys quarterback referenced his biracial identity as shaping his ability to understand the nuance in issues of race in America.
“I don’t don’t have much to say. Obviously, we can be more empathetic and just give grace obviously to one another regardless of race,” Prescott told reporters on December 1, 2022 when asked about the photo of Jones. “Obviously, from the times that we’ve come from to where we are now. Thinking about the growth that we’ve had, that’s who I am, that’s how I think. I’m optimistic, a guy that is completely biracial, black and white.
“It’s easy for me to speak on race on one side or another and I don’t always…How do I say this? Yeah, I don’t know if I’ve fully processed it all the way, honestly.”
Prescott on Controversial Photo: ‘I Think That’s on Jerry to Address’
Lakers star LeBron James recently criticized how the media handles players and owners differently when asking questions about race. When asked about the photo, Jones characterized himself as a “curious kid” who did not understand the magnitude of the situation.
Prescott believes the questions are “on Jerry to address” rather than the players. The Cowboys star encouraged people to “look at the man’s resume” when assessing Jones appearing in the controversial photo.
“I think whether LeBron’s talking about the picture, I think that’s on Jerry to address, right?” Prescott added. “In the same sense, it’s 65 years ago and how times have changed. Look at the man’s resume since then, right? And as I said, I give grace and I think that’s a conversation and a question not only for him but for you guys and how y’all feel. How accountable y’all been in covering and discussing the disparities and differences in race.”
LeBron Was Critical of How the Media Handled the Jones Photo
During a December 1 press conference, James expressed disappointment that reporters asked him about Kyrie Irving’s controversial Instagram post, but he did not receive questions about Jones. Prescott noted that the photo shows that it was not that long ago segregation was a dark reality in the United States.
“So yeah, as I said, I’m here for growth and giving grace and trying to make this world a better place and that’s who I am at my core and all I believe in,” Prescott explained. “And yeah, unfortunate things come up from the past. Pictures, they show how far we’ve come, but in the same sense, they’re a reminder of how short of a time that was ago. It wasn’t that long ago that we were all sitting on different sides and that we weren’t together.
“But as I said, I wouldn’t be here if it was still that way. So, I believe in grace and change and those are questions for Jerry and for y’all, honestly, that I don’t have quite the answers for.”
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