Cowboys' Micah Parsons publicly addresses Mike McCarthy controversy

While Dallas Cowboys star Micah Parsons had already addressed what became controversial comments he made about head coach Mike McCarthy earlier this month, the star pash-rusher hadn't yet spoken with media members about the issue.

That changed on Thursday. 

"...When I'm talking about here [the] Dallas Cowboys and what was accomplished the most, I'm thinking about the guys, and I've only ever been here. So obviously no disrespect to [McCarthy's] career and what he's made for himself as one of the most winningest coaches," Parsons said, ESPN's Todd Archer shared. "I could have done better. I was angry and I just didn't finish, and I wasn't as thoughtful as I usually am. I didn't think people would take that context the way it was. That's on me. I lost [the game], I didn't want to finish, and I wanted to hurry up out of the locker room. Next time I will be very careful about what I say. So that's my apologies."

Parsons raised eyebrows following Dallas' 34-6 home loss to the rival Philadelphia Eagles on Nov. 10 when he suggested he was more worried amid the Cowboys' losing campaign about how veteran players felt about McCarthy's uncertain future. McCarthy is in the final season of his contract and almost certainly will be shown the door by Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones in January unless 3-7 Dallas goes on a remarkable run beginning with this Sunday's game at the 7-4 Washington Commanders.

As of Friday morning, DraftKings Sportsbook listed Dallas as a 10.5-point underdog for that matchup. Among the Cowboys' many issues this fall, they will be without starting quarterback Dak Prescott for the rest of the season. 

"The most important thing is obviously how much love I have for coach McCarthy," Parsons added on Thursday. "You never want to throw shade or anything on your coach. But I think like anything, him understanding I'm always going to be a players' guy first, right? I'm always going to think about the guys around me before anyone. That's who I go to war with. Those are the guys that are leaning on me and I'm leaning on them. That's how we feed our families. That's kind of what I wanted to get across. We hashed it out, it was all good and gravy."

Stories link Dallas with big-name coaches such as Bill Belichick and Mike Vrabel. Whether or not Parsons has "much love" for McCarthy probably won't matter as it pertains to the Cowboys' future beyond Week 18, but the 25-year-old's latest comments indicate this particular story can be put to bed ahead of Thanksgiving.