Dak Prescott won’t be able to wear his “My Cause My Cleats” shoes on Monday night — at least not on the field — as he continues to recover from his season-ending hamstring injury.
But the Dallas Cowboys quarterback’s fluorescent Jordan 1 cleats still have a special meaning to one team executive, whose life may have very well been saved thanks to the cause they represent.
In a video posted to the Cowboys’ official X account, Prescott discussed the goals of his Faith Fight Finish Foundation, which include cancer screening and detection. And there’s perhaps nobody who’s more aware of the importance of early detection than Cowboys Senior VP of Communications Tad Carper, who underwent his own cancer scare earlier this year.
As they explained in the video, after being inspired by a fundraising event for Prescott’s foundation, Dallas head coach Mike McCarthy had his entire staff undergo cancer screenings. That included Carper, who has been with the franchise since 2022 following a lengthy stint with the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Unfortunately, Carper’s screening revealed signs that he was likely battling Stage 2 throat cancer. The good news, however, is that it was detected early enough that he was able to remove two cancerous tumors during the Cowboys’ bye week, according to The Dallas Morning News.
“We were just finishing up a TV production call and got finished and got up to walk out of one of the training rooms and I said, ‘Hey, I’ve got one more thing — it’s kind of a big thing,'” Carper recalled telling Prescott. “‘Just so you know, that test that you arranged in training camp came back positive for me and I’m gonna work through this process. But thank you, because you’re going to end up saving my life.'”
“this is beyond sports, beyond football” 💙
Our Senior VP of Communications, Tad Carper, sits down with @dak to share how Dak and his @FFFfoundation4 foundation helped save his life through a cancer screening. #MyCauseMyCleats | @bswhealth pic.twitter.com/Exf7O2IHs4
— Dallas Cowboys (@dallascowboys) December 9, 2024
While they initially appear to be all-white, Prescott’s customized cleats display the message “see the unseen” when put under a black light — a nod to the importance of early detection. As Carper noted in the video, there’s no better time to get screened than when you’re feeling good, as waiting until you’ve experienced symptoms could put you at a bigger disadvantage in your fight.
Suffice it to say, there haven’t been many highlights for the Cowboys this season. Carper catching his cancer when did and Prescott’s role in helping him do so, however, is one of them.
