Cowboys' Brian Schottenheimer makes strong statement about Joe Milton just weeks after the former Vol was called 'not a good dude'

New England Patriots insider Greg Bedard was the source of a media firestorm earlier this month when he repeated a "direct quote" that called former Tennessee Vols quarterback Joe Milton "not a good dude". 

"Joe Milton was, and this is a direct quote from someone in the organization, not a good dude," said Bedard. "And [he was] not conducive to a good quarterback room. I'm not saying he -- they did say that, but I think they just meant in terms of knowing your role, playing your role, being part of a harmonious quarterback room. That that was going to be an issue. And it wasn't about Drake Maye, it was just about the room."

Milton was traded from the Patriots to the Dallas Cowboys earlier this offseason. 

On Tuesday, Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer was asked about Milton. 

The first-year Dallas head coach was extremely complimentary of Milton, praising him for his work ethic during OTAs while revealing the extensive background work the Cowboys did before trading for the former Vol. 

"So excited about Joe," said Schottenheimer. "I was excited about Joe before we got him. When you go into these deals and you're talking about making trades, we all reach out to people that you know, people that you trust, people that have been exposed to said player at college [and] different programs, friends that have been around him. And you just dig and you ask and you get different opinions. And there's always an outlier, good and bad, with each of them. You try to peel those away.

"From the time he's been here, the work ethic is incredible. He's one of the first people in the building. He's one of the last to leave. The way he's attacked the playbook and [is] picking it up has been incredible. And it's been fun for me to watch Dak (Prescott) take a mentorship role with Joe. The talent speaks for itself. You guys will see it today. He made some incredible throws yesterday. He's just an exciting young prospect that I think the sky's the limit for."

That definitely doesn't sound like someone who is "not a good dude". Milton was nothing but a class act from the moment he transferred to Tennessee. He was essentially the perfect teammate throughout his three seasons with the Vols. There's never been anything to indicate that there are any character issues with the former Tennessee quarterback. 

Milton will serve as a backup to starter Dak Prescott in Dallas. Prescott has missed 25 regular season games over the last five seasons, so there's a decent chance that Milton will be pressed into action at some point during the 2025 regular season.