Dallas Cowboys strength and conditioning coordinator Markus Paul, who was raced to the clinic Tuesday morning experiencing a medical emergency, has passed in, the group declared Wednesday. He was 54.
Encircled by family, Paul kicked the bucket Wednesday night at Plano Presbyterian Hospital.
The reason for death was not declared.
“The loss of a family member is a tragedy, and Markus Paul was a loved and valued member of our family,” Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones said in a statement. “He was a pleasant and calming influence in our strength room and throughout The Star.
“His passion for his work and his enthusiasm for life earned him great respect and admiration from all our players and the entire organization. We offer our love and support to his family in this very difficult time. Our hearts are broken for his family and all of the individuals whose lives he touched and made better.”
The Cowboys will perceive and recollect Paul before their Thanksgiving Day matchup against the Washington Football Team at AT&T Stadium.
Paul was treated by Cowboys clinical work force and moved to a nearby emergency clinic by rescue vehicle right away before 7:30 a.m. CT Tuesday. Mentor Mike McCarthy dropped practice Tuesday, and Wednesday’s meeting ran approximately 75 minutes, which was viewed as near typical, given the conditions.
Paul joined the Cowboys in 2018 as a colleague to Mike Woicik and was named the quality and molding facilitator upon McCarthy’s appearance as mentor.
“We extend our love, strength and support to Markus’ family during this most challenging of times and ask that their privacy be respected moving forward,” McCarthy said in a statement Wednesday. “Markus Paul was a leader in this building. He earned the players’ respect and attention because he cared so much and was a naturally gifted communicator — both on the personal and professional levels. He handled every situation, sometimes with a smile and a pat on the back and sometimes with tough love.
“He had innate toughness in a job that requires that quality, and he was admired throughout the NFL by his peers and the players he coached. It was a privilege to work with him as a coach and laugh with him as a friend. Markus did everything the right way.”
Paul played five years in the NFL as a cautious back with the Chicago Bears and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, from 1989 to 1993, after four seasons at Syracuse, where he was a double cross All-American.
Washington lead trainer Ron Rivera and Paul were partners with the Bears from 1989-92, preceding the finish of Rivera’s playing profession.
“The passing of Markus Paul is a true loss to the NFL community and anyone who had the privilege of knowing him,” Rivera said. “Markus was a tremendous teammate during my time with the Chicago Bears and a good friend to me over the years. He was just a great man and will be missed by many.”
Paul entered the training positions in 1998 with the New Orleans Saints and afterward went through five seasons with the New England Patriots’ quality staff under Woicik from 2000 to 2004. In 2005 and ’06, Paul was the overseer of actual turn of events and head quality and molding mentor for the New York Jets.
He went through 11 seasons with the New York Giants as an associate quality mentor prior to joining the Cowboys.
The Jets communicated sympathies on their Twitter account Wednesday, depicting Paul as “a benevolent man who had an enduring effect on those blessed to have crossed his way.”
The Giants additionally tweeted about Paul, calling him “a beloved member of our organization for several years” and saying, “He will be greatly missed.”
The Saints said in their proclamation, “While Markus’ time in New Orleans was relatively brief nearly two decades ago, he left a lasting legacy as a family first, hardworking individual that cared deeply for the players and the rich history of the NFL.”
In 2012, the Cowboys encountered the passing of a player one day prior to playing the Cincinnati Bengals, when practice-crew linebacker Jerry Brown was killed in an auto crash in which partner Josh Brent was the driver. The Cowboys had Brown’s pullover showed on their seat and dominated the match.