Due to the coronavirus pandemic, a rather large amount of NFL players have opted out of the 2020 season. Dallas Cowboys defensive lineman DeMarcus Lawrence apparently considered doing so because his wife his pregnant, but he ultimately decided to play.
Why? Because of his wife:
“My decision was made by my wife,” Lawrence said, according to Jori Epstein of USA TODAY Sports. “She basically told me there’s no way possible that I could miss this season. My wife is taking care of home. I respect her so much. I know she’ll do a great job. I just got to focus on football right now and when I’m able to get back home, I’ll be there.”
The Cowboys certainly would have missed Lawrence had he chosen to skip the season.
Lawrence is coming off of a 2019 campaign in which he played every game and registered 45 tackles, five sacks, a couple of forced fumbles and a pair of fumble recoveries.
The 28-year-old, who played his collegiate football at Boise State, was originally selected by Dallas in the second round (34th pick overall) of the 2014 NFL Draft.
After a disappointing first three seasons, Lawrence broke out in 2017, racking up 58 tackles, 14.5 sacks, four forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries en route to a Pro Bowl appearance.
He then followed that up by totaling 64 tackles and 10.5 sacks for his second straight Pro Bowl selection in 2018 and earned a fat contract extension from the Cowboys to boot.
Dallas went 8-8 and missed the playoffs in 2019, resulting in the firing of head coach Jason Garrett. The Cowboys replaced Garrett with former Green Bay Packers head coach Mike McCarthy.
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