Why did Dak Prescott apologise re Dallas Cowboys fans?

Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott was in apology mode on Tuesday, but not for the reason you may have expected. After all, it was the quarterback who, as the final few seconds ticked away in the game against the San Francisco 49ers, handed the ball to his center Tyler Biadasz to spot the ball rather than umpire Ramon George. With no margin for error, the time elapsed, the game ended, and the Cowboys' Super Bowl hopes were dashed for another season.

But this apology was not tothe fans for his final actions on the field of play but rather for his post-match comments about the actions of some of those in the crowd.

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What did Prescott apologise for?

With so much expectation going into the postseason, the star QB's emotions appeared to have got the better of him as he praised fans who threw trash at game officials after their 23-17 home defeat in the NFC Wild Card game.

Asked by reporters what he thought of the fans' actions after his team ran out of time during a late comeback attempt on Sunday, Prescott said "credit to them".

On Tuesday, however, Prescott said he "deeply regretted the comments".

"I was caught up in the emotion of a disappointing loss and my words were uncalled for and unfair," he wrote on Twitter. "I hold the NFL Officials in the highest regard and have always respected their professionalism and the difficulty of their jobs.

"The safety of everyone who attends a game or participates on the field of a sporting event is a very serious matter. That was a mistake on my behalf, and I am sorry."

Prescott "should know better"

Earlier on Tuesday, the National Basketball Referees Association decided to get involved and condemned Prescott's comments for "condoning violence against game officials".

"As an NFL leader, he should know better," the association tweeted.

"We encourage the NFL to take action to discourage this deplorable behavior in the future."