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Lindsey Thiry
TAD CARPER HOLLERED at a reporter who was unaware of the rules of order inside a Dallas Cowboys postgame news conference: «Excuse me! Hold on, hold up! I’ll call on you,» he implored.
«Yeah, we go around,» quarterback Dak Prescott said, a grin growing across his face as he awaited the next question from the media following a Week 6 road loss to the Carolina Panthers.
Minutes later, when Prescott stepped away from his postgame media session, he joked with reporters about the tight ship run by Carper, the Cowboys’ senior vice president of communications.
For most who witnessed, it could have been just another exchange between an omnipresent public relations official and a player — except to know the relationship between Carper and Prescott is to know it extends beyond ordinary.
«He’s a hidden best friend. He’s my ‘No’ guy. He takes the stress and pressure away from me,» Prescott said. «Being the quarterback of the Dallas Cowboys, or any big organization, your image is so important. What you say and how you say it is important. … [He] makes it easy for me. I’m thankful for that guy and our relationship.»
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The role of NFL public relations officials is multifaceted. They conduct and advise on media opportunities, both locally and nationally. They discuss current events, not only those occurring in the locker room and across the league, but also those in the national news media. They schedule routine news conferences and must be ready at any moment for breaking news.
Sometimes, the amount of time spent in close proximity and discussing every facet of life can lead to deeper relationships between a PR official and a player.
«It’s bigger than football,» Carper, 63, told ESPN in early November of his relationship with the 32-year-old Prescott. «And especially when you go through a life-crisis moment together.»
About 15 months earlier, Prescott sent Carper an early-morning message while at training camp in Oxnard, California.
Prescott invited Carper to stop by a cancer screening, which had a few remaining spots available, that then-head coach Mike McCarthy had set up as part of the annual physicals for Cowboys assistant coaches. Carper never imagined the invitation from Prescott would change his life.
«It’s 7 a.m. one morning, and what else am I doing? I said, ‘Sure, that’d be great. Thanks,'» Carper recalled. «I walked in, got tested. Super simple. Walked out and never thought about it again.
«Never thought about it again.»
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Fast-forward three years. Carper is in full remission, and doctors tell him his risk of the cancer returning is low.
«My doctors told me if it was two months later, we’d be having a much different conversation and result,» Carper said. «God’s plan for me to come to Texas. God’s plan for me to work for the Cowboys with Dak Prescott leading to that moment. And that’s what happened.
«There’s a lot of elements involved in getting to that moment, and being in that place, and having that opportunity.»
Carper’s mission now is to encourage others to get screened for cancer when they’re feeling their best. He even wrote a letter to congressional leaders to support a bill that would allow Medicare to cover multi-cancer early-detection blood tests after FDA approval.
Carper has received emails and notes from strangers and friends who have felt compelled to seek early cancer screening after learning about his story.
Initially, Carper was hesitant to share his journey with people beyond his personal circle, but he realized it would be somewhat hypocritical of him to shy away from it.
«The Dallas Cowboys live in the spotlight and that lens is extremely bright,» Carper said. «I’ve spent the majority of my professional career encouraging other people to share their story, explain about where they’re coming from. … So [I] decided to embrace that, and knew it was the right thing to do.»
