DeMarcus Lawrence made waves this week when he decided to leave the Dallas Cowboys after 11 seasons to sign with the Seattle Seahawks. The defensive end had been a key player on the Dallas defensive line but felt it was time to move on.
In a recent interview, Lawrence opened up about his decision to leave Dallas, citing his desire to win a Super Bowl as the main factor. “Dallas is my home. Made my home there, family lives there, I’m forever gonna be there,” he said. “But I know for sure I’m not gonna win a Super Bowl there, so we’re here.”
His former teammate Micah Parsons, however, didn’t take too kindly to Lawrence’s comments. Parsons took to social media to criticize Lawrence, calling his actions “rejection and envy” and “some clown s–t.”
Lawrence didn’t back down from Parsons’ criticism, firing back with a pointed response. “Calling me a clown won’t change the fact that I told the truth. Maybe if you spent less time tweeting and more time winning, I wouldn’t have left,” Lawrence retorted.
The tension between the two former teammates highlights the competitive nature of the NFL and the desire for players to win championships. The Cowboys have struggled to reach the NFC championship game since their last Super Bowl win in 1995, and Lawrence felt that his best chance at a title was with the Seahawks.
Lawrence, who signed a three-year deal with the Seahawks, leaves behind a legacy in Dallas as a four-time Pro Bowler and the holder of the biggest contract for a defensive player in Cowboys history. Despite some injury setbacks in recent years, Lawrence is looking forward to a fresh start in Seattle.
See also Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s tough Bronx persona is under fresh scrutiny with a resurfaced childhood nickname from her suburban upstate New York upbringing casting doubt on that publicly portrayed image. The progressive champion’s latest spat with President Donald Trump over the Iran strikes again called into question her true upbringing when she declared on X she was a “Bronx girl" to make her a point against the president. The 35-year-old congresswoman wrote in part on X: "I’m a Bronx girl. You should know that we can eat Queens boys for breakfast. Respectfully," she said, referring to the president’s upbringing in Queens as she called for his impeachment over his decision to bypass Congress in authorizing U.S. strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities. Ocasio-Cortez was born in the Bronx but moved to Yorktown – which is nearly an hour outside New York City -- when she was 5 years old and went on to attend Yorktown High School where she graduated in 2007. She was considered an accomplished student there and well thought of by teacher Michael Blueglass, according to a 2018 report by local media outlet Halston Media News. “There, known by students and staff as ‘Sandy,’ she was a member of the Science Research Program taught by Michael Blueglass," the report states. “She was amazing," Blueglass said, per the report. “Aside from her winning one of the top spots and going to the [Intel International Science and Engineering Fair], she was just one of the most amazing presenters in all of the years I've been at Yorktown. Her ability to take complex information and explain it to all different levels of people was fantastic." After high school, Ocasio-Cortez attended Boston University, where she majored in economics and international relations, per the report. Ocasio-Cortez’s “Sandy" nickname — which carries a more suburban and preppy tone — appears to undercut her politically crafted image as a tough, inner-city fighter, one she has portrayed since her famous 2018 congressional campaign where she eventually ousted former 10-terms Congressman Joe Crowley. New York GOP Assemblyman Matt Slater, who now represents Yorktown, added to the scrutiny of Ocasio-Cortez’s persona in the wake of her brash with Trump and released images of Ocasio-Cortez from his high school yearbook. He claimed he and the rising Democratic star attended Yorktown High School at the same time when she was a freshman and he was a senior. "I saw the attacks on the president and her [Ocasio-Cortez] claims that she's a big, tough Bronx girl," said Slater. "To sit there and say that she’s a Bronx girl is just patently ridiculous." "Everybody in our community knows this is just a bold-face lie," said Slater on "Fox & Friends First" last week. "She grew up in Yorktown, she was on my track team." "She's lying about her background, she's lying about her upbringing," Slater claimed. Slater’s post sent social media ablaze and prompted Ocasio-Cortez to respond after an image if her family’s home was posted online. “I’m proud of how I grew up and talk about it all the time," Ocasio-Cortez wrote on X Friday responding to the post. “My mom cleaned houses and I helped. We cleaned tutors’ homes in exchange for SAT prep." “Growing up between the Bronx and Yorktown deeply shaped my views of inequality & it’s a big reason I believe the things I do today!"
As for Parsons, the young linebacker is entering the final year of his rookie contract and could soon become one of the highest-paid non-quarterbacks in the NFL. With his talent and potential, the Cowboys may be looking to lock him up with a lucrative extension in the near future.
The drama between Lawrence and Parsons may be just the beginning of a new rivalry between the Seahawks and the Cowboys. As both players look to make their mark in their new homes, fans will be watching closely to see how their careers unfold.
