Video: Skip Bayless Addresses Dak Prescott Comments

Skip Bayless, on FS1's Undisputed today, addressed the comments that he made about Dak Prescott and depression on Thursday's show:




"I want to reiterate some points I made yesterday on the show about Dak Prescott and the depression he discussed," Bayless said. "As I strongly stated, I have great compassion for anyone suffering clinical depression, which is very real. If you are suffering from any form of depression, please seek help. And this is the final point, one I'm told that was misconstrued by many, the only Dak depression I addressed on yesterday's show was from an interview he taped with Graham Bensinger. Dak said that depression happened soon after the pandemic hit, early in the quarantine. I said yesterday that if Dak needed help for pandemic depression he should have sought counseling then. And again, if you are suffering from any form of depression, please seek help."

So, that's not an apology. In pointing out that he was referencing the period early in the pandemic, Bayless is indirectly stating that he was not talking about depression Dak Prescott may have suffered when his brother died of suicide later in April. Bayless did specify that distinction in the original segment, but it's still the wrong message to say we can pick and choose which mental health struggles we should be open about.

As Outkick's Greg Couch wrote about in a column explaining why being open about his depression was laudable leadership from Prescott, on Thursday Bayless said he had compassion for clinical depression but as a quarterback, Prescott is in “the ultimate leadership position in sports. Am I right about that? You are commanding an entire franchise. And they’re all looking to you to be their CEO, to be in charge of a football team. Because of all that, I don’t have sympathy for him going public with `I got depressed and I suffered depression early in COVID . . .’’’

 







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Ryan Glasspiegel grew up in Connecticut, graduated from University of Wisconsin-Madison, and lives in Chicago. Before OutKick, he wrote for Sports Illustrated and The Big Lead. He enjoys expensive bourbon and cheap beer.