It appears the Dallas Cowboys don't have much to say about Micah Parsons' in-game catnap.
Amid a contract standoff that has consumed coverage of the Cowboys training camp, Parsons raised eyebrows Friday when he was seen lying down on a trainer's table with his eyes closer during the team's preseason finale against the Atlanta Falcons.
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After the game, head coach Brian Schottenheimer declined any firm comment, only saying he didn't know much of the situation and would review film later. He had slightly more to say on Saturday, telling reporters he plans to speak with Parsons and plans to handle the situation internally.
Parsons has remained off the field throughout training camp due to a back injury, which has coincided with a public disputed with team owner Jerry Jones that has worsened by the week. He requested a trade at the start of the month, and flashed a "call me" gesture at a fan who told him to come to the Falcons before Friday's game.
He did defend his conduct, but only by quote-tweeting broadcaster Mike Leslie's assertion that he only spent "a relatively short portion of the evening" lying on the trainer's table. He insisted he would never disrespect the players on the field, by lying down on the trainer's table for an extended period of time, we guess.
It's unclear where the line is.
Despite all that, Schottenheimer reiterated that he expects Parsons to be ready for the Cowboys' opener against Philadelphia Eagles on Sept. 4. He noted that a recent MRI on Parsons' back came back "pretty clean."
Where Micah Parsons and the Cowboys stand (figuratively)
Ultimately, Parsons spending even a small portion of a game lying down with his eyes closed is a show of defiance at a time where tensions between him and Jones appear at an all-time high.
Parsons is entering the final season of his rookie deal and wants a new contract, which is likely to be the largest in NFL history for a non-quarterback. Jones has said he offered exactly that to Parsons, but that could have been back during a fateful March meeting when the high water-mark for guaranteed money was Nick Bosa's $88 million (the new record is T.J. Watt's $108 million).
Jones has publicly insisted he made a handshake deal with Parsons during that March meeting, which Parsons' agent David Mulugheta then shot down. Of course, if Jones wanted to make sure he was making a deal that would reach paper, he probably should have looped in the guy Parsons hired to negotiate his contract.
Jones has bizarrely turned the situation into a referendum on the basic idea of players having agents representing them and accused Mulugheta, one of the most powerful agents in the NFL, of exploiting the Parsons contract for what would be marginal personal gain in the grand scheme of things.
None of that has appeared to endear Jones to Parsons, who has wiped all mentions of the Cowboys from his social media channels and published a couple posts indicating he is very ready to leave the franchise over the past few days. Jones appears dug in on Parsons honoring that alleged March agreement, while Parsons' contract demands remain unclear.
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