Dak Prescott won’t be able to wear his My Cause My Cleats on Monday night – at least not on the field – as he continues to recover from his season-ending hamstring injury.

But the Dallas Cowboys quarterback’s fluorescent Jordan 1 cleats still hold special meaning for a team executive whose life may well have been saved thanks to the cause they represent.

In a video posted to the Cowboys’ official X account, Prescott discussed the goals of his Faith Fight Finish Foundation, which include cancer prevention and detection. And there may be no one more aware of the importance of early detection than Tad Carper, senior VP of communications for the Cowboys, who experienced his own cancer scare earlier this year.

As they explained in the video, Dallas head coach Mike McCarthy was inspired by a fundraiser for Prescott’s foundation and had his entire staff undergo cancer screenings. This also included Carper, who has been with the franchise since 2022 after a long time with the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Unfortunately, Carper’s exam revealed signs that he likely had stage 2 throat cancer. The good news, however, is that it was caught so early that he was able to remove two cancerous tumors during the Cowboys’ bye week, they say The Dallas Morning News.

“We were finishing a call for a TV production and when we were done, I got up to leave one of the training rooms and I said, ‘Hey, I have something to do – it’s a pretty big deal'” said Carper remembered telling Prescott. “Just so you know, the test you arranged at training camp came back positive for me and I will work through that process. But thank you, because you will save my life in the end.’”

“This goes beyond sport, beyond football” 💙

Our Senior VP of Communications, Tad Carper, sits down with us @dak to share how Dak and his @FFFfoundation4 The foundation helped save his life through cancer screening. #MyCauseMyCleats | @bswhealth pic.twitter.com/Exf7O2IHs4

– Dallas Cowboys (@dallascowboys) December 9, 2024

While they appear completely white at first glance, Prescott’s custom boots display the message “See the Invisible” under black light – a nod to the importance of early detection. As Carper noted in the video, there’s no better time to get checked than when you’re feeling well, because waiting until symptoms appear could put you at an even greater disadvantage in your fight.

Suffice it to say, there haven’t been many highlights for the Cowboys this season. Carper got cancer when he got cancer, and Prescott’s role in helping him through that, however, is one of them.

(Dallas Cowboys)