Cowboys Dak Prescott says being biracial helps him relate to teammates

Cowboys’ QB Dak Prescott Believes Being Biracial Helps Him Relate To Teammates

The Dallas Cowboys are preparing for a big playoff game against Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers this Sunday. Much of the Cowboys’ season has been about their quarterback controversy after veteran Tony Romo was injured in a preseason game against the Seattle Seahawks. Sports journalists and pundits debated whether or not rookie QB Dak Prescott could fill Romo’s cleats as not only the starting signal-caller, but as the leader of the team.

A piece in USAToday paints Dak as just that. A leader. But not just because of his talent on the field, but because of his race.

Dak (Dakota) is the product of an swirly relationship between a white woman and a black man. According to him, being biracial is part of why he’s been able to position himself as the HNIC of the Cowboys’ locker room:

“I grew up in Haughton, Louisiana,” Prescott tells USA TODAY Sports. “I go to my white grandparents’ house, and then I cross the railroad tracks and hang out with my black grandma. We have English teachers on my white side. My grandpa is a principal. And then you go to the other side and people have been in jail.

“I was put in all those different situations. I’ve been in situations where I was the only black guy. We’re in a time now where nobody wants to see that. But it still happens. Depending on where you come from, it happens. To be able to wipe that clean and see and live both sides, it’s just who I am. Being mixed allows me to connect with everyone.”

“…go to the other side and people have been in jail” What the hell does that mean, Dakota?!?!

The story bolsters Dak’s point with this semi-superficial anecdote:

During a pre-practice stretch period, when Wiz Khalifa’s We Dem Boyz pulsed through the speakers, Prescott rapped every verse. Minutes later, when the guitar of George Strait’s All My Exes Live in Texas twanged through, Prescott swayed along and belted the chorus louder than anyone else on the field.

Basically, knowing rap lyrics and county music lyrics makes Prescott relatable to both his white and black teammates.

“Being bi-racial and being from the country, I can talk to guys like Travis Frederick from Wisconsin and Doug Free from Wisconsin,” Prescott says of two offensive linemen on the Cowboys.

“And then I can go over and talk to Dez Bryant. I mean, think about the two different standpoints you need to have a real conversation with both, to really understand what they’ve been through. I don’t think many can do it. For me, it’s not hard. I’m blessed because it’s natural.”

One of Dak’s unidentified white teammates seems to agree:

“Not to crap on Tony (Romo), because he has done so much for this team,” says one white Cowboys player who asked to remain anonymous due to the sensitive nature of the topic. “But no matter how hard he’ll try, there are just some things that he can’t do, some ways that he can’t connect with some of the guys in here like Dak can.”

Does any of this ring true to you? Do you think being biracial has helped other superstar entertainers like Drake, or J. Cole, or Mariah Carey relate to their fans?

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