Micah Parsons has become a polarizing figure recently, and not just because of his desire for a massive contract extension. DeMarcus Lawrence insulted him shortly after joining the Seattle Seahawks, and Michael Irvin considers it a microcosm of the distrust within the Dallas Cowboys’ roster.
Speaking on his eponymous podcast on Saturday, Irvin, the Hall of Fame wide receiver, said this distrust could be traced back to when the incoming fifth-year player was drafted in 2021 and immediately displaced his more experienced counterpart as the team’s new pass-rushing star:
“I’ve heard before that there’s something in the locker room with some of the guys on defense and Micah Parsons, and I would never have said anything about it, because I thought there would be a violation. But now that it’s out, we should address it. Micah said, ‘I think you’re jealous.’”
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He concluded:
“I’m sad. I didn’t want to believe it, but now I do.”
But as it turns out, Irvin is not the only Cowboys Hall of Fame wide receiver frustrated with the Micah Parsons-DeMarcus Lawrence feud. Drew Pearson, a progenitor of the “Hail Mary” play, is also hoping the controversy fades quickly.
Speaking to TMZ, he said the situation has been fueled by “too much social media” — a stark contrast to earlier times when intra-team conflicts were kept private:
“This would drive (late legendary formr head coach Tom) Landry crazy… But it was easy to keep it (inside) because you had reporters around. All you had to do was not talk to them.”
He continued, explaining how the proliferation of media has negatively affected how internal locker room issues are handled:
“These guys, they’ll complain within the locker room; but eventually, it will seep out of the locker room and into social media. And now you’ve got all these talk shows, all these professionals talking about it. And that’s what you don’t want because those opinions sometimes aren’t the gospel.”
He then revealed another reason for the tension: a lack of unity within the current roster, unlike during his era, when the Cowboys never had a losing record and made 10 straight postseasons.
Pearson also urged Parsons to be a stronger leader and a more positive locker room influence, especially with guard Zack Martin now retired.
