The Dallas Cowboys should have been celebrating their first-round pick of the 2020 NFL Draft that Thursday night. That's what most teams did, at least, until they were on the clock again. Instead, the franchise was mourning the loss of a close family member. Jace Prescott, the older brother of Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott, died at his home in Orange, Texas on April 23, 2020, according to the Star-Telegram. He was 31 years old.
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"It is with great sadness and support that we share the news of the passing of Jace Prescott today," the Cowboys said in a statement minutes after their pick. "The loss of Tad and Dak's brother is devastating. At this incredibly difficult time, the Prescott family asks only for prayers and respect for their privacy."
The cause of death was not initially announced, but now we have more heartbreaking details about the Cowboy star's brother's suicide.
Dak Prescott's Brother Jace's Death
The Dallas Cowboys share their deepest sympathies to Dak & his family for the loss of his brother.
→ https://t.co/X1ZptOgovp pic.twitter.com/dEzlLDntS1
— Dallas Cowboys (@dallascowboys) April 24, 2020
RELATED: Dak Prescott Responds to Throwing Party During Quarantine
Dak Prescott had already, and unfortunately, experienced a lot of family tragedy in his young life. Prescott lost his mother, Peggy Prescott, to colon cancer in 2013. Now, his older brother is gone. Jace Prescott, who recently starred in a Campbell's Chunky Soup commercial with his brothers, was the middle of three brothers between Dak and Tad.
Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones made a statement during a virtual press conference after the franchise selected Oklahoma wide receiver CeeDee Lamb with the No. 17 overall pick, according to a press release.
"We are so saddened that Dak has lost his brother. We want him to help him get through this time. Whatever we can do to help him get through this tough time. When you're young, and Dak is young, death is really hard to understand to think about or live with. I have a particular sensitively to players when they have a tragedy."
The Cowboys also said both Stephen Jones and head coach Mike McCarthy shared their condolences on the conference call.
At 6-foot-6 and over 340 pounds, Jace Prescott was not just Dak Prescott's older brother. He was a star football player as well. He was a standout at Haughton High School and and was an offensive lineman for Northwestern State University in Louisiana from 2008-10.
"He was a great kid who dominated games," Prescott's high school football coach, Rodney Guin, told The Shreveport Times. "He was a pleasure to coach — as were all the Prescott boys."
As if life during the coronavirus pandemic and COVID-19 outbreak wasn't hard enough, it got even tougher for the Prescott brothers and their family.
Dak Prescott Opens Up About Brother's Death
Cowboys QB Dak Prescott lost 31-year-old brother, Jace, in April.
Dak: "I have the obligation to live on and carry on another legacy. So now it's not just my mother, it's my brother as well. I will continue to do that in every walk of my life." pic.twitter.com/6MGbQ4qqUl
— Jori Epstein (@JoriEpstein) August 13, 2020
It's been a tough season for Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott, but nothing could be more difficult than losing a brother. The star quarterback opened up about his brother, who he lost during the 2020 offseason.
"It's tough, obviously. He meant a lot to my family. He meant a lot to me. He's part of the reason I am a quarterback. When I was a little kid, he is the reason that I first started throwing the football.
"It's been a tough year. It's been a tough year for me personally. It's been a tough year for my family. It's been a tough year for this country and this world, obviously. It's all been tough, but I have a great family to count on, to lean on, great supporters here, great teammates, great coaches, people that help me get through it.
"I know I've just been... had the obligation to live on and carry on another legacy. So now it's just not my mother, but it's my brother as well. I will continue to do that in every walk of my life."
But as the details emerged about his brother's suicide, Dak and his brother Tad Prescott spoke to the immense weight that was on Jace, citing a lot of burdens he carried with on a daily basis and how that led to his mental health struggles. Sometimes avoiding pass rushers from the Rams and Packers feels a lot easier than dealing with your own demons.
Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images
"He had a lot of tough things, and my sense of saying that is it showed me how vulnerable we have to be as humans, how open we have to be," the former Mississippi State star said to Graham Bensinger. "Because our adversities, our struggles, what we go through is always gonna be too much for ourselves and maybe too much for even one or two people, but never too much for a community or too much for people in the family that you love. So you have to share these things."
As Dak begins his 2022-23 NFL Playoff run with running back Ezekiel Elliot, facing off against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on ABC and ESPN, the Fort Worth icon will have Jace's death on his mind. Not in a negative way, but in a way that will fuel him to get the Cowboys out of the Wild Card round.
If you or someone you know is struggling with a mental health issue, remember that you are not alone. Feel free to reach out to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline by dialing 988. You are worth it. You are not alone.
This post was originally published on April 24, 2020 before updating.
