How do Dallas Cowboys feel about Micah Parsons’ trips to China, Japan? His sumo wrestling?
To say that Dallas Cowboys All-Pro edge rusher Micah Parsons has had an offseason to remember would be an understatement.
After going viral at the Super Bowl with his podcast on Bleacher Report, breaking down the Cowboys’ shocking season-ending loss to the Green Bay Packers in the NFC Wildcard game, Parsons was a star of NBA All-Star weekend as the MVP of Celebrity Basketball game.
He has been seen courtside at NBA regular season and playoff games, from Dallas to San Antonio to Philadelphia.
While the rest of his Cowboys teammates were involved in the offseason program, Parsons gained attention for his recent excursion to China and Japan with Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud.
Stroud was on Parsons’ Bleacher Report podcast at the Super Bowl. Both participated in celebrity basketball game during NBA All-Star weekend.
They hosted a podcast on Bleacher Report during the NFL Draft before embarking to China where the duo visited the Great Wall of China, held a youth football camp in Beijing, threw out the first pitch at a Japanese baseball games and modeled clothes in the streets of Tokyo.
The coup de grace was Parsons getting in the ring with a Sumo wrestler in Tokyo.
Ironically, Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy was seemingly more impressed with the wrestler than with Parsons.
“Absolutely,’’ McCarthy said when asked if he saw the video of Parsons going one-on-one against a sumo wrestler. “Sure did.
“That young man was 17 years old.’’
Regarding Parsons, McCarthy said they have been in touch with him regarding his workouts and preparations.
He missed the offseason program last season while working out on his own in Austin. He got bigger and stronger as he bulked up prepare for the move from linebacker to defensive end.
Parsons followed with his third straight All-Pro season and third straight top three finish in NFL Defensive Player of the Year balloting.
McCarthy says Parsons will be back with the team when they Cowboys begin offseason training activities (OTAs) and participate in minicamp.
And he not only does McCarthy have no problem with the trip abroad, he encouraged it.
“We’ve been in touch,” McCarthy said. “We talked about the technique and about the experience of being over there but, hey, think about it. That’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity so, I think any of our guys that have that type of opportunity to broaden their horizons, I’d be the first one to tell them to go.”
