Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott and free-agent receiver Dez Bryant continue to disregard important restrictions to out-of-home activities as communities throughout the world try to limit the potential spread of the coronavirus.
In videos posted by Bryant on social media, the franchise-tagged quarterback and the pass-catcher who very much would like to return to the Cowboys continue to flaunt their defiance of rules that have caused millions to change their habits dramatically.
Although there’s no evidence in the latest social-media posts of a failure to keep proper distance (and no photos of participants with their arms draped around each other at the end of the workout), Prescott and Bryant as explained by Drew Davisson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram worked out at A+D1 Training in Dallas County, Texas, despite state and local requirements to remain at home and to not work out at gyms.
Davisson explains that the Texas governor’s executive order, dated March 31, states that “people shall avoid eating or drinking at bars, restaurants, and food courts, or visiting gyms, massage establishments, tattoo studios, piercing studios, or cosmetology salons.” (Emphasis added.) More specifically, Dallas County has issued a local order stating explicitly that “[a]ll public or private gatherings of any number of people occurring outside a single household or living unit are prohibited.”
It doesn’t matter that there were apparently fewer than 10 people working out. It doesn’t matter that Bryant posted no videos showing anyone within six feet of each other. Prescott and Bryant were not supposed to be there, at all. They should be at home, like so many others currently are.
Besides, the concept of social distancing gets turned on its head when a football gets passed from person to person, as the ball is touched by multiple people’s hands — hands that easily could spread the virus.
It doesn’t matter whether the virus actually was spread among Prescott or Bryant or anyone else who was at a facility that should have been empty. These requirements are aimed at preventing circumstances where the virus could spread.
Beyond the fact that Prescott and Bryant are blatantly disregarding state and local mandates is the message sent by the decision to brazenly publicize videos of their workouts. At a time when many continue to refuse to take the situation seriously, the involvement of the quarterback of America’s Team in such activities tells football fans and anyone else paying attention that Prescott and Bryant either think that it’s no big deal — and it gives college and high-school football players (along with other NFL players) fodder for justifying their own decisions to ignore requirements to stay at home and avoid workout facilities.
Meanwhile, many are blindly defending Prescott and Bryant against criticism, highlight the undercurrent of ignorance, stupidity, and/or flat-out disregard for the vulnerable members of society who are getting sick and who are dying because people continue to not take steps to freeze the distribution of the virus in its tracks.
Where are the Cowboys as this is happening? Where is the NFL? Perhaps the teams and the league should take a step back from their obsession to ensure that the virtual draft works without any major glitches to ensure that everyone connected to the league is following the same laws that so many others are adhering to, even if we’d rather not.
No one, apparently, can keep guys like Prescott and Bryant from doing things they shouldn’t be doing. But why are they making their violation of these laws public? Again, it’s ignorance, stupidity, and/or flat-out disregard for the vulnerable members of society who are getting sick and who are dying because people continue to not take steps to freeze the distribution of the virus in its tracks.