On anniversary of his brother’s death, Dallas Cowboys QB Dak Prescott honors Jace
One year ago Friday, the life of Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott changed forever.
His middle brother Jace died by suicide at the age of 31 on April 23, 2020.
Prescott was going through his own battle with anxiety and depression when he learned of his brother’s death.
It understandably took its toll on Prescott and his older brother Tad. Both had already endured the death of their mother Peggy, who died after a long battle with colon cancer in 2013.
Prescott remembered his brother on the one-year anniversary of his death with a message and photo on Instagram.
Tad also posted about Jace’s death.
“R.I.P. little brother,” Tad wrote. “You’re missed daily.”
It was part of a tumultuous year for Prescott.
In addition to battling depression and suffering through the loss of his brother, Prescott sustained a fractured ankle in Week 5 and missed the final 11 games of the 2020 season.
But he drew upon his experience with loss and his platform to encourage people who are dealing with depression to reach out to loved ones to ease their burdens rather than hold things inside.
Jace spent daily time with their mother as the cancer progressed and ravaged her body. Prescott said Jace carried a lot of burdens that he kept to himself.
“Mental health is a huge issue and a real thing in our world right now, especially the world we live in where everything is viral and everyone is part of the media,” Prescott said last fall. “[You] can get on social media and be overcome with emotions and thoughts of other people and allow that to fill in their head when things aren’t necessarily true.
“All those things create emotions and put things in your head about yourself or your situation in life that aren’t true. I think it’s huge. I think it’s huge to talk. I think it’s huge to get help. And it saves lives.”
Prescott is healthy and ready to go for the 2021 season. He signed a four-year, $160 million contract with the Cowboys in March.
But life will never be the same without his brother Jace.
And now more than ever, he wants the world to know, it’s okay not to be okay.
Anyone struggling with thoughts of suicide can all the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255.
