Dak Prescott helped save Cowboys exec who unknowingly had cancer

Dak Prescott’s close relationship with Dallas Cowboys executive Tad Carper helped save the latter’s life.

The Cowboys quarterback has long been a strong advocate in the fight against cancer. After his mother died of Stage 4 colon cancer in 2013, Prescott founded the Faith Fight Finish Foundation, which centers on cancer research, mental health, and suicide prevention.

In July 2024, Prescott’s foundation teamed up with then-Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy to conduct a cancer screening for the team’s coaching staff. The screening had a few extra slots left, which prompted Prescott to invite Carper, the Cowboys’ senior VP for communications and a personal friend of Dak, to get himself checked out.

A report published Wednesday by ESPN’s Lindsey Thiry gave a thorough recounting of how Prescott’s invitation led to Carper’s surprise cancer diagnosis.

Carper got a call weeks after the screening informing him that he had tested positive for head or neck cancer. He was urged to undergo further testing, which later confirmed him to have Stage 2 throat cancer.

“The crazy part about it is Tad, not being a coach, that wasn’t the initial party that was being tested, ” Prescott said. “And — just being good — very good friends, and him always taking care of me, I said, ‘Why not get Tad testing?’ And sure enough, he was the one that — that showed up positive.”

Prescott was reportedly informed that the screening had yielded one positive result, but did not know who it was until Carper told him in private. Per the report, Prescott was the first person with whom Carper shared his diagnosis. The Cowboys executive initially kept the news from his family to prevent them from worrying about his condition.

Carper underwent surgery on Oct. 15, 2024, during the Cowboys’ bye week last season, to have the tumor removed. Over a year after his surgery, Carper is reportedly in “full remission,” with doctors describing the chance of the cancer returning as “low.”

Carper joined the Cowboys organization in 2022. He previously served a similar role with the Cleveland Cavaliers.

A huge part of Carper’s role is to help Prescott with handling various matters off the field. But it was Prescott who ended up giving Carper one of the biggest off-field assists imaginable.