Dak Prescott reveals details of injury recovery, could not feel his toes after surgery

Last October, Dallas Cowboys leader Dak Prescott suffered one of the more gruesome injuries of the year. The quarterback endured a compound fracture and dislocation of his right ankle in a game against the New York Giants.

The injury required two surgeries, and after the first one, Prescott was still a long way from the end of his recovery. He couldn’t even feel his toes, and he questioned if they would ever feel the same way again.

“I actually had the trainers or my girlfriend tap each toe, and I’d close my eyes and try to figure out which toe they were tapping because I couldn’t feel it,” Prescott told NBC’s Maria Taylor in an interview, according to Jon Machota of The Athletic.

The surgeries left visible scars, but Prescott is not discouraged by them. He has found a way to turn them into something positive instead of a reminder of the injury. 

“I see healing, I see growth, I see faith. … I see it as a blessing,” Prescott told Taylor in this interview, per Machota.

He plans to get a tattoo over the scars. While originally he thought about a simple smiley face, Prescott has changed his mind and thinks he wants either a wishbone or the prayer hands emoji. 

Also of note, Prescott suffered through the extensive rehab just months after his brother died of suicide. Both experiences have allowed Prescott to have an inspiring, bigger picture outlook on life, one which extends beyond football. 

“My perspective on life is we’re all here for one another,” Prescott added, per Machota. “It doesn’t matter what talent we have. It doesn’t matter how much money we make, what materialistic things we have, we’re all here to help each other get through this life. To be a helping hand, that is our only obligation, to serve and serve one another the best that we can. If that’s the whole reason that I’m in this position, the whole reason I’m a quarterback and the quarterback of the Dallas Cowboys, I’m fine with that.”

Now, Prescott is ready to go for tonight’s opening game against the reigning Super Bowl champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Rumors swirled in recent weeks around whether or not the quarterback would be 100% for the opener, but Cowboys owner Jerry Jones put them to rest a few weeks ago. 

“If we were lining up against Tampa tonight, he’d be starting, and we’d feel great about it,” Jones told 105.3 The Fan following an Aug. 22 preseason game, via Machota.

The game kicks off the NFL season at 8:20 p.m. ET on NBC.