Football

New Cowboys LB Micah Parsons: 'If God's not real, I don't know what is'

By Joshua Doering Apr 30, 2021
New Cowboys linebacker Micah Parsons with commissioner Roger Godell at the NFL draft, April 29, 2021. (AP Photo/Tony Dejak)

Former Penn State linebacker Micah Parsons had one team on his mind as he was waiting to hear his name called at the NFL draft Thursday night.

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It just so happened that team had Parsons on its mind too. After swapping picks with the Philadelphia Eagles, the Dallas Cowboys took him 12th overall.

Coming from a family of Cowboys fans, Parsons’ excitement was obvious from the moment the pick was announced.

“All last year I said I was going to Dallas,” Parsons said on the ESPN broadcast (via Dallas Morning News) after being selected. “If God’s not real, I don’t know what is. This is so unreal. It’s crazy!”

He went on to emphasize the importance of perseverance and remaining faithful to God.

“No matter what you go through — any trials and tribulations, Lord knows I been through it all — keep your head up high,” Parsons said. “Keep working. Keep striving and believe in God, and everything is going to come true.”

Earlier this month, Parsons revealed to PennLive that his mom wasn’t sure she could afford a third child and considered getting an abortion. Now, he’s her “biggest blessing.”

Parsons made an immediate impact for the Nittany Lions, recording a team-high 82 tackles and 1.5 sacks as a freshman in 2018. He was named a consensus All-American and won the Butkus-Fitzgerald Award as the nation’s top linebacker in 2019. The Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, native produced 109 tackles, 14 tackles for loss, five sacks and four forced fumbles in 13 games.

Already regarded as one of the top prospects eligible for the 2021 draft by the end of his sophomore year, Parsons opted out of the 2020 season due to concerns about the pandemic.

He may have been picked even higher were it not for accusations surrounding his involvement in an alleged hazing incident at Penn State. The Cowboys are confident in the background research they did on Parsons and made it clear they do not have any concerns.

Parsons denied the accusations and acknowledged the role they may have had on his draft stock while speaking to the media late Thursday night. He pointed to God as the one who was ultimately in control of the way things played out.

“Concerned? No. You only get concerned if it’s true,” Parsons said. “I knew it was false, and if I were to fall it’s because God wanted me to fall. I believe everything happens for a reason. I’m here for a reason. I put it in the air, and I spoke this into existence. Now, I got a great opportunity to do something great here.”

On Friday morning, Parsons tweeted a screenshot of a tweet from December with a picture of him in AT&T Stadium in which he expressed his desire to be a Cowboy. He ended the tweet by thanking God:

The NFL draft resumes Friday with coverage of the second and third rounds beginning at 7 p.m. ET. Dallas currently owns four picks – 44th, 75th, 84th and 99th overall – in those two rounds.

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