In response to the polarizing national anthem protest remarks made by Dak Prescott last week, artist Trey Wilder made a mural which depicted the Dallas Cowboys quarterback being in "The Sunken Place."
The visual of a wide-eyed Chris Washington, played by Daniel Kaluuya, with tears streaming down his face became arguably the most striking image from the 2017 film Get Out. "The Sunken Place" has become synonymous with the idea of someone being oblivious or in denial of the social issues pertaining to people of color. Prescott received backlash, including from players in the league, after he spoke out against players protesting during the playing of the national anthem.
"I never protest during the anthem, and I don’t think that’s the time or the venue to do so," Prescott said. "The game of football has always brought me such peace, and I think it does the same for a lot of people — a lot of people playing the game, a lot of people watching the game, a lot of people who have any impact of the game — so when you bring such controversy to the stadium, to the field, to the game, it takes away. It takes away from that, it takes away from the joy and the love that football brings a lot of people."
Despite Prescott claiming that his comments were "misunderstood," Wider is holding out hope that the mural will be the flash he needs to come to his senses. "Honestly, I know he’s a superstar, but I’m not scared of Dak Prescott," Wilder told the Dallas Star-Telegram. "But like in the movie, maybe [the piece] will be a flash for him. I think, with that platform, it was just weird how he dismissed the whole situation, especially being a black man himself."
