The Cowboys quarterback navigates the fallout of a high-profile breakup and a canceled wedding, revealing how personal turmoil impacted his physical preparation for the upcoming NFL season.
FRISCO - Sometimes, you laugh ... to keep yourself from crying.
Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott is always in the spotlight. But this week, he was also on the podium to meet the media here inside The Star during OTAs.
Local reporters have largely been sensitive when it comes to Prescott's unfortunate turn in his personal life - the breakup with fiancee Sarah Jane Ramos, the mother of his two young daughters.
But on Tuesday, Prescott voluntarily - and maybe accidently - opened up the door to questions about the cancellation of his planned wedding, and the challenges of co-parenting.
The question was about fitness and conditioning and weight loss; nothing unusual there.
Dak's answer?
"Stress may help lose a little weight here and there," the Cowboys QB said.''
Prescott's offseason "stress,'' obviously, is about his family life - and as one media member noted, his answer "opened the door" for him to address his split with Ramos.
Prescott responded with a laugh and said, "I'm kidding. I'm going to shut (the door) right there."
Prescott and Ramos got engaged in October 2024. They were scheduled to be married in Italy in April. But they broke off the relationship during a conflict connected to their bachelor's/bachelorette's party. There have since been rumors and accusations of all sorts.
There are some in Cowboys Nation who believe this topic should be completely off the table. But the fact is, players' personal lives can impact their professional lives.
And that can make this sort of thing very much "football-related.''
To wit, Cowboys coach Brian Schottenheimer recently said that he and Prescott have visited on the subject.
“Obviously, what he’s dealing with is incredibly tough,” Schottenheimer added at the time. “But if anyone can handle it, he can.”
Indeed, Prescott - who will turn 33 this summer as he enters his 11th NFL season - has over the course of his career demonstrated an uncanny ability to overcome obstacles. ... everything from a season-ending injury that saw bone from his broken ankle protrude through his skin to the suicide of his brother.
Prescott is coming off a fine 2025 season, having thrown for 4,552 yards and scored 30 touchdowns. ... though Dallas finished a disappointing 7-9-1. He and the Cowboys believe they can turn that around in 2026.
“I’m a big believer in, 'You’re getting better or you’re getting worse,” Prescott said. “When I walk in these doors, anytime I walk in these doors, I’m just trying to be very (intentional) for anything and everything that I do.''
There is value in Dak Prescott doing that once he walks through the doors here at The Star. But beyond football? There is value in doing that outside these doors as well.
