FRISCO
Many former teammates and coaches have reacted with sadness, shock and grief to the sudden death of former Dallas Cowboys running Marion Barber, who was found unresponsive in his apartment by Frisco police on Wednesday.
Among those was Hall of Fame coach Bill Parcells, who drafted Barber in the fourth round of the 2005 NFL Draft.
Barber, who played six of his seven years in the NFL with the Cowboys, was with Parcells for his first two seasons and made a lasting impression.
“He was a kid I had a high regard for,” Parcells said. “I was extremely saddened by that news. But here is what I want to tell you and I don’t think it’s appropriate to talk too much about him as a player.
“But I am going to say this: He was close to being a perfect player. He could run. He could block. He could catch. He was tough and he was always there. He never missed anything. I liked him a lot. I am very sad about it.”
Parcells called several former Cowboys when he heard the news about Barber.
Chief among them was Keith Davis, a hard-hitting safety who was Barber’s teammate for three seasons and became his closest confidant after his career ended.
Davis spoke with Barber on Friday.
According to a source, Barber had no contact with anyone from Saturday until he was found by police on Wednesday after they were called to do a welfare check.
Davis, who sent Barber a Bible verse Wednesday morning as he always does, said that they talked like normal on Friday.
But he knew something was going on with him.
“It’s crazy,” Davis said. “It makes me feel like, ‘Did I do enough? Could I have done something else?’ I know whatever happened to him, it wasn’t him.”
Davis said he told Parcells that he talked to Barber every week. He said Barber was training to become a boxer. He said Barber continued to play the piano and had learned to play the guitar.
“We all play this game. I have these crazy thoughts,” Davis said. “But I have people around me. I can’t remember certain stuff. It gets scary sometimes. But that hurt. That hurt. He has a great heart. He loved his music. Whatever happened to him, it was not MB.”
Former Cowboys coach Jason Garrett called Barber a “rare guy” in a post on Twitter.
“I am truly heartbroken to hear the incredibly sad news of Marion Barber’s passing,” Garrett said. “Marion played the game with such passion! He had a deep-down love for football and it showed in everything that he did!”
This story was originally published June 02, 2022 12:36 PM.
