So this is what a drama-free Dallas Cowboys training camp feels like | Opinion

As an avid watcher of all things Dallas Cowboys since 1997, I’ve seen my share of training camp controversies.

Coach Barry Switzer being arrested for having a gun at the airport.

Michael Irvin cutting a teammate with a razor.

Terrell Owens vs. Bill Parcells.

Starting quarterback Quincy Carter being cut days into camp.

Seedy photos of Cowboys ownership on TMZ.

The Ezekiel Elliott holdout.

The Dak Prescott contract talks, just to name a few.

Now, don’t tell Jerry Jones, but there’s a new drama that’s unfolding with his team in training camp this year.

It’s been all about the football.

While camp still being conducted under the big top with bright lights, the circus-like atmosphere has been muted. The clowns have yet to make an appearance.

We’ll get to the football questions in a second, but the closest non-football issue that has reared its head, which wouldn’t even rate on the Richter scale, was because of me. I’ll explain.

Last week, Prescott misused of the term HIPAA in refusing to disclose his vaccination status. His comment garnered national headlines, think pieces and countless social media queries.

Here were his exact words directed to the intrepid reporter who asked the question: “I don’t necessarily think that’s exactly important, Clarence. I think that’s HIPAA.”

For the record, HIPAA refers to the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996, a federal law that prevents healthcare providers, insurance companies and other organizations from sharing sensitive patient information without permission.

It does not apply to journalists asking whether you have received the COVID-19 vaccine.

Prescott was mocked. And jeered.

By all accounts, Prescott is vaccinated but he was trying to prevent the media from using his status to bully his unvaccinated teammates as they continue to discuss things among themselves. He is in favor of the vaccine.

To use an old Irvin phrase, “he was trying to do the right thing the wrong way.”

Like I said, a zero on the Richter scale. And training camp kept on going.

The issues and questions the Cowboys must answer over the next few weeks pertain solely to what is happening on the football field, likely to the chagrin of HBO’s Hard Knocks, which is chronicling their every move.

How is Prescott’s ankle?

What type of shape is Elliott in?

How will coordinator Dan Quinn use rookie top pick Micah Parsons?

And what does that mean for Jaylon Smith and Leighton Vander Esch?

Will CeeDee Lamb supplant Amari Cooper as the No. 1 receiver?

And how good will Randy Gregory be in 2021 after a full offseason for the first time in years?

All normal football-related concerns.

Compare that to what’s happening with Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers and Deshaun Watson and the Houston Texans.

Fortunately, that’s not the Cowboys’ reality this year. For a franchise that has seen self-inflicted drama over the years — Jones has been known to stoke the fires of controversy for coverage and ratings — this a welcomed and needed change.

The national spotlight figures to remain on the Cowboys, thanks to Hard Knocks, the preseason opener in the Pro Football Hall of Fame Game and the league’s season opener against the defending Super Bowl champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

So while there may be drama, it’s minus the theatrics.