The safety of cowboys Malik Hooker questions the podcast of Micah Parsons
“What are you really caring about?”
We had to be aware that the podcast hosted by Micah Parsons would eventually come under fire.
Fingers are always pointed because the Dallas Cowboys consistently fall short of expectations. Additionally, those in the sports media frequently salivate to turn every hint of an alleged off-the-field distraction into a vote on athletes having their own platform.
But Malik Hooker, one of Parsons’ colleagues, made these remarks rather than the sports media. When Hooker made an appearance on Keyshawn Johnson’s All Facts No Brakes podcast, he was questioned about his thoughts on his teammate’s podcast throughout the season.
Hooker said, “To be honest, man, and this is me, I’m one of those guys that’s not into that kind of stuff.” For certain guys, it works. You see men like Jason Kelces and others who not only perform well on the field but also have success with their podcast. I therefore don’t find it problematic. However, I think that many of these men just go on there from time to time and start saying things just to get people to click and view them and stuff like that.
“Well, I don’t see any issues with that. “I would just make sure we’re okay and stay where your feet are,” Hooker advised Micah. “Because what are you really caring about if we’re out working and the run game is bad but you’re doing a podcast every week and you know the run game is bad?” Do you care more about the number of people who listen to your podcast than you do about our team’s performance and our goal of winning the Super Bowl?
Following the 2023 premiere of his podcast, The Edge with Micah Parsons, Parsons made a significant career move in May when he was named president of Bleacher Report’s Gridiron division.
“But also, a lot of people got to remember, Micah’s young,” Hooker added. “He’s still trying to find his way. He’s still trying to grow into who he’s trying to be. I give him grace, honestly. I always hear people say stuff that he said on the podcast or something he shouldn’t have said. But people got to remember, Micah’s still a big kid. And you can’t fault a big kid for trying to expand, as well as experiencing that they ain’t really been through.
“Micah’s only been in the league four years. There’s still experiencing stuff that he been through. He ain’t never been through real adversity yet in the league. Like, he ain’t really seen that yet. I feel like over time and over these next couple of years of experience and adversity, you’ll see him start to change how he approaches the podcast and stuff like that.”
Even though Hooker later said that it didn’t affect him, Parsons continued to receive those remarks. The Dallas Morning News said that Parsons replied in a since-deleted tweet.
“I wish you had said this to me on a podcast instead!” As reported by the New York Post, Parsons wrote. “You have my phone number, family!” You’re my locker buddy, too! Thus, you may have mentioned this at any time! You are aware that I record the show on our day off. Why aren’t we discussing everyone’s plans and priorities?
Hooker called it “bait,” acknowledging that his comments on Johnson’s podcast might have been perceived that way by Parsons, even if that wasn’t his original intention. Seemingly, Hooker understands how his words could be interpreted as criticism designed to provoke a reaction, even though he may have simply been offering constructive feedback.
Whatever his intention was, his attempt to be authentic on Johnson’s podcast and provide thoughts seemed to have backfired. Whether it actually exposes a potential rift within the Cowboys or was just a misunderstanding between teammates remains to be seen.
