Former Cowboys defensive end Marcus Spears recently went on 103.3-FM ESPN Dallas' J Dub City. Here are some highlights.
On Ezekiel Elliott pulling down a woman's top at Dallas' St. Patrick's Day parade:
"The guy's just gotta stop being dumb, man. That's really what it boils down to. And I'm not going to speak on it like I know all of the particulars but I saw it and I don't understand it. I was talking to my wife last night about it. With all of the social media, all of the media coverage that we give because we have to and we have to talk about these things, you would think that these guys would have in their minds and they would understand that I have things that I can't do. And not as a football player but just as a human. At the end of the day, the eye of the world is on Ezekiel Elliott and Dak Prescott because of the success that they had. They not only have the eye of the world but they play for the Dallas Cowboys, who are always in the eye of public."
On what it was that troubled him about Elliott's actions:
"It's a part of the position and it's a part of the respect that they have to have for where they are. When you see stuff like that, you just sit back and ask yourself what part of the message that the seminars and the speakers and the daily talks and the news coverage and the social media world doesn't stick? Because guys are still out here doing things that are crazy in my mind. So I hate to be judgmental but the most important thing for Zeke is to continue to mature. He dealt with the issue when he got to the Dallas Cowboys which ended up being a debacle from the other side but at the end of the day, I go and speak to these colleges and these college football teams and I tell them, 'Even if you didn't do it, even if you were so in the right, the fact that somebody can Google your name and those certain incidents are going to come up that possibly took place or that took place, you will forever be remembered for that. That is part of your legacy.' So the decisions that they're making at 21-, 22-years-old while they're playing in the league, while everybody is kissing their butt and telling them how great they are will have a profound impact on them moving forward when they're done playing football. Once you leave the field, people have a tendency to forget about you and all they do is remember the bad things.
"So I think Zeke just needs to lay low. Have fun, man, have fun. He's young. But do it in the right way and the respectable manner. At the end of the day no one can fault you for trying to enjoy the hard work and the labor that you put in to put yourself in this position. But you also have a responsibility to not only yourself but your family to take care of business the right way and not get involved in stupidity."