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Micah Aaron Parsons (born May 26, 1999) is an American professional football defensive end for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League (NFL). Parsons played college football for the Penn State Nittany Lions, where he was named a consensus All-American, Big Ten Linebacker of the Year and the Cotton Bowl Defensive MVP as a sophomore in 2019. He was selected by the Cowboys in the first round of the 2021 NFL draft, and was named the NFL's Defensive Rookie of the Year.
As a senior, Parsons posted 1,239 rushing yards, 27 rushing touchdowns (tied for ninth in the state), 99 receiving yards, and 2 receiving touchdowns. Parsons also played Varsity team basketball.
He was a five-star recruit and was ranked #4 in his class by 247Sports.com and #7 by ESPN. Parsons was recruited by Nebraska, Georgia, Oklahoma, Ohio State, Alabama and Penn State. On December 19, it was reported that Ohio State had committed NCAA violations because the university allowed him on the set of ESPN's College GameDay to take a picture with analyst Kirk Herbstreit. As Herbstreit is a former Ohio State University quarterback, this was a violation of NCAA rules, as recruits are not allowed to have contact with members of the media associated with former student-athletes. As a result, Ohio State agreed to no longer recruit Parsons.
Penn State University offered Parsons a football scholarship after just four games of his freshman season. He initially committed in the spring of 2016, then decommitted, before recommitting again on December 20, 2017. He graduated Harrisburg High School seven months early to expedite the enrollment process.
Prior to the start of his sophomore season, Parsons was named to the Butkus Award preseason watch list. He started 12 out of 13 games at middle linebacker, totaling 109 tackles (14 for loss), five sacks, 26 quarterback hurries, five deflected passes, and four forced fumbles. Parsons went on to be named the Butkus–Fitzgerald Linebacker of the Year (given to the Big Ten Linebacker of the Year) and a consensus All-American. Parsons was named the 2019 Cotton Bowl Classic defensive MVP after recording 14 tackles, two sacks, and two forced fumbles.
He opted out of the 2020 season due to concerns regarding the COVID-19 pandemic and declined his remaining years of college eligibility in favor of making himself available to the NFL in the 2021 draft. Despite leaving Penn State early to enter the NFL, Parsons completed his degree in criminology and graduated from Penn State in 2021.
In Week 5 of the 2022 season, Parsons had two sacks, five tackles, and a tackle for loss in a 22–10 win over the defending champions Los Angeles Rams, earning NFC Defensive Player of the Week. In Week 8, against the Chicago Bears, he had a 36-yard fumble return for a touchdown in the 49–29 victory. In the 2022 season, Parsons had 13.5 sacks, 65 total tackles (42 solo), three passes defended, and three forced fumbles. He had six games on the season with two sacks. Parsons was named a first-team All-Pro by the Associated Press at the end of the year. He was ranked ninth by his fellow players on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2023.
In Week 2 of the 2023 season, Parsons recorded four tackles, three for a loss, two sacks, a pass breakup, a forced fumble and recovery in a 30–10 win over the New York Jets, earning NFC Defensive Player of the Week. He finished the 2023 season with 14 sacks, 64 total tackles (36 solo), two passes defended, one forced fumble, and one fumble recovery. He earned Pro Bowl honors for the 2023 season. He was ranked 17th by his fellow players on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2024.
On April 24, 2024, the Cowboys picked up the fifth-year option on Parsons' contract. In the 2024 season, Parsons had 12 sacks, 43 tackles, one pass defended, and two forced fumbles.
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In October, 2020, Parsons' teammate Isaiah Humphries filed a lawsuit against Penn State University, alleging that he had been hazed by teammates. Although not mentioned in the suit, Humphries claimed that Parsons was among the players he had been victimized and harassed by. In April 2021, Parsons stated in an interview "They were false allegations. There’s nothing pending against me, there’s nothing I would lie about."
On December 8, 2022, the United States announced a prisoner swap with Russia, which led to the release of WNBA basketball player, Brittney Griner from a Russian prison. In response, Parsons expressed disappointment that the US did not secure the release of Paul Whelan, a former U.S. Marine held in Russia, as part of the prisoner swap. On Twitter, Parsons wrote "Wait nah!! We left a marine?? Hell Nah."
On February 16, 2024, Parsons played in the NBA All-Star Weekend Celebrity Game. Parsons shot 17 of 31 and finished with 37 points, 16 rebounds and four steals in the 100–91 victory. This performance earned him the Most Valuable Player award for the game.
On May 14, 2024, Parsons signed a multi-year extension deal with Warner Bros. Discovery, making him president of their American football digital sports media division, Bleacher Report Gridiron.
Parsons is a native of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. He is a fan of Penn State wrestling, the Philadelphia Phillies and Philadelphia 76ers.McGuire, Kevin. (January 28, 2023). Micah Parsons returns to Penn State for massive wrestling match with Iowa. Nittany Lions Wire. Retrieved September 26, 2023.
Parsons is a self-taught chess player, who uses the game to cultivate his game on the football field. He played in Chess.com's BlitzChamp tournament, a Rapid Chess tournament for NFL players.
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