OPINION: Skip Bayless criticized Dak Prescott and just about every single word was wrong
When you make north of $30 million and you are the face of one of the most recognizable teams in all of sports, you can expect criticism. It goes with the territory. On Thursday though, when host Skip Bayless opined on former Mississippi State Bulldog and current Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott on FS1's Undisputed, it wasn't criticism. It wasn't a well-thought-out, different way of looking at things. It was wrong. Virtually every word that came out of Bayless' mouth was completely and totally wrong.
If you're out of the loop, let's have a quick recap shall we? Clips came out Wednesday of Prescott on "In Depth with Graham Bensinger". Prescott spoke of how he battled mental illness and depression earlier this year, before and after his brother, Jace, committed suicide.
Then, on Thursday, Bayless offered up one of the most baffling takes I've ever heard. In a nutshell, he seems to believe Prescott should've dealt with his depression and kept his mouth shut, all because he's an NFL quarterback. Unbelievable. See and judge for yourself:
Let's break down some of these Bayless quotes shall we:
"I’m going to ask our audience to feel free to go ahead and condemn me, if you choose, as cold-blooded and insensitive on this issue." - Here's a good mantra for life. If you have to kind of apologize or issue this kind of a precursor for a comment before you make it, you probably ought to keep your mouth shut. Yet here's Bayless laying the groundwork for his criticism of Prescott. Skip, the audience didn't have to choose to see you as cold-blooded and insensitive. You went out and made that as evident as the sky being blue. And for something as serious as mental illness, it's not cool it happened on a national platform.
"I have deep compassion for clinical depression." - Nah Skip. It doesn't seem that you do. Because the next minute of your life after uttering this, you spent saying someone that admitted to dealing with some type of mental illness/depression should've just kept it bottled up inside and never revealed it. I guess Bayless believes that he still has compassion since Prescott, as far as we know, didn't get a doctor's note confirming some type of diagnosis. Really? No compassion unless we confirm that, yep, that's really depression you're suffering from Dak! That's absurd.
"You’re commanding a lot of young men. And some older men. And they’re all looking to you to be their CEO – to be in charge of the football team. Because of all that, I don’t have sympathy for (Prescott) going public with, ‘I got depressed. I suffered depression early in COVID to the point where I couldn’t even go work out.’ Look, he’s the quarterback of America’s Team." - So because Prescott is an NFL quarterback, Bayless thinks it's a requirement that Prescott never reveal any weakness. Might make his teammates think he's a wimp, right Skip? Get out of here with all that. Anyone that has ever paid a second of attention to Dak Prescott better come with one heck of an argument if you want to question his toughness. With his beloved mother's health failing, Prescott played a football game for Mississippi State just one day before she died back in 2013. He ended up not missing a contest. Heck he didn't miss much practice and he played the following game. That mentally tough enough for you, Skip? Much has been written through the years of Prescott and his bond with his mother. To lose her in college to cancer was tragic. Then, seven years later, Dak's brother takes his own life, in the middle of a worldwide pandemic no less. I don't care how much money is in his bank account. Dak Prescott is human. He's made of flesh and blood. To expect him to just take what life throws at him and either not be impacted by it or – if it does – shut his mouth about it, is the epitome of either ignorance or stupidity.
"You know and I know, this sport that you play, it is dog eat dog. It is no compassion, no quarter given on the football field. If you reveal publicly any little weakness, it can effect your team’s ability to believe in you in the toughest spot." - This portion of Bayless' comments wasn't in the clip above, but I'll include it here because you know what, maybe it's one of the few things Bayless said that could be right. Maybe there are those playing NFL football that think less of Dak because he showed some vulnerability by talking about his mental health. I'd say anyone that feels that way is just as clueless, or careless, as Bayless.
Dak responded to the Bayless comments on Thursday. Here is what he had to say per Mike Fisher of Cowboy Maven:
"I think being a leader is about being genuine and being real,'' Prescott said. "If I wouldn't have talked about those things to the people I did, I wouldn't realize that I, my friends and a lot more people go through them, and they are as common as they are.
"I've got to make sure my mind's in the right place ... to lead people to where they want to me. I think it's important to be vulnerable, to be genuine, to be transparent. I think that goes a long way when you're a leader and when your voice is being heard by so many, and you can inspire."
More from Prescott:
"I got the help I needed, and I was very open about it,'' Prescott said. "Emotions can overcome you if you don’t do something about it. Mental health is a huge issue and it's a real thing in our world right now ... I think it's huge to talk, I think it's huge to get help and it saves lives."
Those last few comments are why this whole situation is so near and dear to my heart on a personal level. Eight years ago, completely unexpectedly, I went into a mental spiral. Without any particular reason, random anxiety attacks became a part of my life. They became so common, I was convinced something larger was going on, despite numerous doctor's appointments resulting in me being told otherwise. More attacks led to more anxiety which led to more attacks which eventually led to a crippling mental state. I never had suicidal thoughts. But I was relegated to living a miserable existence. For about two full years, I went about life as a walking zombie – putting on the brave face in public while struggling mightily internally, every single day. You want to know what slowly broke those chains for me? A lot of talking, both through prayer and to others. It was an uphill climb, but with the help of many, I got out of that hole.
There are a whole lot of people in this world in a hole. Maybe because of tragedy or maybe because of bad decisions or perhaps, like in my case, because of seemingly random, undefined reasons. And no one, whether you're a millionaire like Prescott or a mediocre sports reporter like me, should be shamed for admitting weakness or seeking help.
I don't know Skip Bayless. He might be a fine human being. But whether it was for ratings or publicity or perhaps it was his genuine opinion, he had what I deem a shameful moment on Thursday.
I don't care who you are, if you're battling depression, anxiety or mental illness of any kind, don't you dare bottle it up and take your chances. None of us are too big or too small to reach out and find a hand to hold to get us though the tough times of life.
Joel Coleman is the publisher/editor of Sports Illustrated’s Cowbell Corner and this column is Coleman’s opinion alone. It is not necessarily the opinion of any other person affiliated with Sports Illustrated/Maven. To follow along on Cowbell Corner and comment on articles and participate in the community, simply sign up, get a username and chime in with your thoughts and questions. Also, be sure to follow Cowbell Corner on Twitter (@SIBulldogs) by clicking here, and like it on Facebook by clicking here. Thank you for coming to Cowbell Corner for coverage of Mississippi State sports.
