Dallas Cowboys canceled practice after their strength coach suffered medical emergency at team facility
Dallas Cowboys head strength and conditioning coach Markus Paul collapsed during a medical emergency Tuesday morning at the team’s Frisco practice facility, sources have told Yahoo Sports.
Paul was attended to by team medical personnel and paramedics before the team was slated to practice, then taken by ambulance to a local hospital in serious condition.
The Cowboys put out a statement updating his status:
Shortly before 7:30 a.m. this morning, Dallas Cowboys Strength and Conditioning Coordinator Markus Paul experienced a medical emergency. Paul was immediately treated by Cowboys medical personnel and transported to a local hospital by ambulance.
As per the Paul family, Markus is in the process of undergoing further medical tests and additional information will be made available at the appropriate time.
The Dallas Cowboys players and staff attended a pre-scheduled 8:05 a.m. team meeting this morning and were told by head coach Mike McCarthy that today’s practice, scheduled for 11:30 a.m., would be canceled.
The organization extends its prayers and support to the Paul family, and asks for friends and followers of Markus, his family and the team to keep them in their thoughts and prayers.
Sources said players were on hand when the medical emergency occurred, ultimately leading the team to cancel practice and media availability for the day, including coach Mike McCarthy’s news conference.
Paul works closely with virtually all of the team’s players and coaches, and is regarded as a very popular member of the organization. He’s also well-known across the NFL, having played for the Chicago Bears and Tampa Bay Buccaneers from 1989-93 before serving the past 22 years as a strength coach in multiple NFL franchises.
Paul has been a member of the strength staff on five Super Bowl-winning franchises, including three titles with the New England Patriots and two with the New York Giants. In March, after the COVID-19 pandemic shut down NFL facilities, the Cowboys made Paul a centerpiece of a long-running video series on social media that provided tips on fitness workouts at home, under the hashtag #StayHomeStayStrong.
The Cowboys were on a short week of practice before Tuesday’s emergency, with the franchise set to meet the Washington Football Team in its annual Thanksgiving Day game on Thursday.
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