Cowboys’ Mike McCarthy, Dak Prescott and Trevon Diggs downplay trash talk after heated moment in training camp

A heated moment between Dallas Cowboys Pro Bowl cornerback Trevon Diggs and Pro Bowl quarterback Dak Prescott — in which Diggs sent some curse words his quarterback’s way during an 11-on-11 training camp drill — raised the eyebrows of some on social media the past few days.

However, head coach Mike McCarthy labeled trash talk between players in practice as a normal occurrence and something he has observed since entering the NFL as an offensive quality control coach with the Kansas City Chiefs 30 years ago in 1993. 

“Trash talking is part of our environment,” McCarthy said Thursday. “I don’t referee that. It goes on in the lunch line. This is not like this is something new. It’s been going on as long as I’ve been in this league. It’s just part of our culture and guys competing. The fact that they do talk so hard to each other, it shows the connection. So to me it’s it’s a complete opposite. When you’re competing and it’s like your brother, no one goes harder against your brother than you. “I think it shows their connection is tighter when they go out to each other harder.”

Prescott said the outrage over the video of his practice interaction with Diggs reveals many people didn’t participate in competitive sports growing up. In fact, Prescott relishes these type of passionate practice moments. 

“It’s honestly one of those things that you realize not a lot of people have competed or been in very heated competitions, whether it be with their family or with their brother, friend, teammate,” Prescott said Thursday, via The Fort Worth Star-Telegram. “I’m the youngest of three boys. Words or just words. When you love somebody and you know who they are, you compete against them in everything you do, rock-paper, scissors, card games, football, you name it. Yeah, you’ve got emotions and you’ve got feelings about it. Words don’t hurt me, never have hurt me. I encourage it. Honestly.”

Diggs, now one of the Cowboys’ top leaders after signing a five-year, $97 million extension this offseason, went out of his way to clarify that his trash-talking with Prescott is no reflection of the respect and appreciation he has for his quarterback.

“Dak is the leader of our team,” Diggs said. “I have the utmost respect for Dak. I love Dak to death. There’s nothing behind it. It’s just competitiveness, it’s just football. Stay out of our business. People don’t need to worry about what we got going on, our relationship, my relationship with my brother. Dak is the leader of our team. He’s going to go out there and have a great year. I have the utmost respect for Dak.”

Prescott said he usually goes out of his way to kickstart trash talk in the locker room when the team is getting ready to practice for two reasons: to fire guys up, creating a competitive environment, and to encourage teammates to treat him like anyone else instead of this face-of-the-franchise who gets put on a pedestal as the starting quarterback. Prescott even admitted that trash talking is his favorite part of training camp as the team comes back together prior to the regular season kicking off. 

“I enjoy it. I really do, that’s a form of my leadership,” Prescott said. “I open the door and make people feel comfortable to talk trash to me and that’s why I start it. I’m encouraging these guys and I know some of these guys need that to play their best. I like to know my teammates more than just their jersey number and who they are. People aren’t going to put me in a box or try to paint me the way that they want to paint me because I play a position only because of what I do. I am who I am and I will always stand on that.”