It's a good thing that Dak Prescott didn't give the Cowboys a heads up about his plans to get a tattoo this offseason, because there's a good chance the team might have tried to talk him out of it.
Well, they probably wouldn't have cared about the tattoo itself, but they might have been worried to learn that Prescott had to be sedated for nearly 11 hours to get the work done, a nugget of information he didn't reveal to anyone in the organization.
Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy recently became aware of that fact and when he found out, he was shocked. During an interview with the Star-Telegram, McCarthy recalled the first conversation he had with Prescott after the QB got his tattoo, which covers nearly all of his right leg.
"I was like, 'Whoa, what the … happened to your leg?'" McCarthy said of his talk with Dak. "So he shows it to me. I'm like, 'Jesus Christ, how long did that take? You've been doing it all week.' He said, 'No, I did it all at one time'. He showed me a video of it and like, 'Oh, my God.'"
McCarthy wasn't the only one in the organization who was shocked by Prescott's decision to be sedated for 11 hours to get a tattoo. Cowboys owner Jerry Jones was also surprised to learn how far Prescott went to get inked up.
"I don't have a comment," Jones said about his QB being sedated for so long. "My comment is it explains to me why I don't do tattoos."
Jones then admitted that he had no idea what lengths Prescott had gone through to get the tattoo.
"I certainly didn't know he was under for 10 hours," Jones said. "Just so you're clear, I had no idea about tattoos. I better get up to date on it. I had no idea that required that kind of sedation of any tattoo. It further explains to me why I don't have a tattoo."
For his part, Prescott knows that most normal people will probably be shocked when they find out everything he went through.
"People are gonna think it's crazy and it is crazy," Prescott said. "I get that. But I'm crazy. That's my point is I am. I know I am. I'm not afraid of nothing."
The intricate tattoo covers nearly every aspect of Prescott's life with designs that range from serious (he has a tribute to both his brother and his mom) to somewhat silly (Daffy Duck is also included in the tattoo), which you can see below.
The tattoo, which was created by Andres Ortega, also honors several sports legends like Muhammad Ali, Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan. Prescott went to Ortega on a recommendation from teammate CeeDee Lamb.
One other key part of the tattoo features a sign from Pine Creek Estates, which is the mobile home where Prescott grew up.
Dak Prescott added a tattoo on his leg, The Pine Creek Estates, Dak to @newyscruggs
— Noah Bullard (@noah_bullard) August 3, 2023
"That's the trailer park I grew up in, I'm very proud of that, that shaped me to be the man that I am and the player that I am, I thought it was only right to get the tattoo." @NBCDFW @dak pic.twitter.com/GOdBx2qoX2
"That's the trailer park I grew up in, I'm very proud of that, that shaped me to be the man that I am and the player that I am, I thought it was only right to get the tattoo," Prescott told NBC 5 in Dallas last month.
If you watch any Cowboys games this year, Prescott's tattoo will likely come up as a topic of conversation and when it does, you'll already know the story behind it.
