Cowboys teammates, organization offer support for ‘brothers’ family tragedy
Rookie receiver Michael Gallup, who found out that his brother had committed suicide shortly after the Dallas Cowboys beat the Atlanta Falcons Sunday afternoon, is away from the team and grieving with his family.
But his teammates and coaches made it clear a day after the tragedy, that they’re his family too and will offer whatever help he needs.
“He’s our brother and we’re there for him and praying for him every single day,” said fellow rookie Leighton Vander Esch. “I love the kid. We have a chip on our shoulder for him and we’re going to do everything we possibly can to be there for him. Anything he needs. We have to be there for our brothers when things happen like that. Family comes first.”
Cowboys’ owner and general manager Jerry Jones released a statement Monday afternoon.
“Our team and our entire organization are deeply saddened by the news of Michael’s loss,” he said in the release. “His family is our family. We share in the grief and pain that comes with something so personal and tragic. We offer our support, care and comfort for Michael, and we ask that all of those who have sons and daughters and brothers and sisters join us in keeping Michael and his wonderful family in their thoughts and prayers.”
Cowboys’ coach Jason Garrett said a determination has not been made whether Gallup will play Thursday against the Washington Redskins.
“He certainly has to handle the situation first. He is handling it today. We will see how it all goes,” he said. “We will move on from there. We are making no determination of availability this week or when he is going to be back here in the building. We just want to offer support, love and care for his family.”
The tragic news put football in perspective for the players, who instead of joyously celebrating Sunday’s win, were subdued.
“All of a sudden my drop didn’t matter anymore,” Cole Beasley said. “It puts things in perspective for you. Any time someone is going through some things, we all have each other’s back. Anything he needs any of us will be there at the drop of a dime. He needs to take as much time as he needs and we’ll be here for him.”
It’s such a personal loss that knowing how to help can be difficult. Garrett said they’ll let him deal with it however he needs to deal with it, but also making sure he knows he can lean on any of his coaches or teammates.
“You try your best to show him love, care and support anyway that you can,” Garrett said. “They just want to be there for him. The Jones family is incredible at times like this, offering support to him. It’s a very challenging time, it’s a tragic situation so we try to stay in communication with him and let him know that we’re here for him in any way possible.”
Mostly, his teammates want Gallup to know they’re grieving with him.
“It’s an extremely terrible loss,” Vander Esch said. “You have to be there to step up for somebody and be there for them to lean on. Be somebody they can talk to. Don’t bother them too much about it but let them know you’re there for him and he’s going to get through it. We’re going to help him get through it.”
This story was originally published November 20, 2018 at 1:33 AM.