Cowboys

Warning: This story contains information some readers may find distressing

Quarterback Dak Prescott says the Dallas Cowboys’ players are “hurting” following the death of team-mate Marshawn Kneeland.

Defensive lineman Kneeland, drafted by the Cowboys in the second round in 2024, died aged 24 on Thursday.

Frisco Police Department in Texas said Kneeland appeared to have taken his own life after a vehicle pursuit and multi-agency search on Wednesday night.

Kneeland, in his second season with the Cowboys, scored his first NFL touchdown by recovering a blocked punt on Monday in a loss to Arizona.

Prescott and his team-mates had a team video call in the wake of Kneeland’s death which the 32-year-old said had been “very tough” following a “tragic loss”.

“I hurt for Marshawn, I hurt for his family, I hurt for his girlfriend, I hurt for every single one of my team-mates,” Prescott told CBS Texas.

Prescott’s own brother Jace died by suicide, external in 2020 and he has worked with mental health initiatives in the past few years.

He acknowledged Kneeland’s death had been “triggering” and it was “hard to balance” his emotions.

“This is a pain that you don’t wish upon anybody,” he said.

“You wish none of us had to go through this. You wish Marshawn didn’t have to go through what he went through.

“Tough moment for this team. I feel and hurt for everybody that’s involved in this and Marshawn’s family and loved ones.”

The Cowboys have a bye this week on the NFL schedule before they return to competition on 17 November at Las Vegas.

If you have been affected by any of the issues raised in this story you can visit the BBC Action Line.

Dallas Cowboys defensive end Marshawn Kneeland has died of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound, police in Frisco, Texas, said Thursday. He was 24.

“It is with extreme sadness that the Dallas Cowboys share that Marshawn Kneeland tragically passed away this morning,” the Cowboys said in a statement. “Marshawn was a beloved teammate and member of our organization. Our thoughts and prayers regarding Marshawn are with his girlfriend Catalina and his family.”

The Frisco Police Department said it was called at approximately 10:39 p.m. Wednesday to help the Texas Department of Public Safety to find a vehicle that had entered the city during a pursuit. The state-level law-enforcement agency said in a statement Thursday that it had attempted to stop the vehicle for a traffic violation, but the driver had refused to stop.

The vehicle was soon found unoccupied, crashed on southbound Dallas Parkway near Warren Parkway. A man — later identified as Kneeland, a resident of nearby Plano — was reported to have fled the scene on foot.

Frisco police were told during the search that Kneeland had expressed “suicidal ideations,” the department said in a statement. “Kneeland was later located at 1:31a.m., deceased with what appeared to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound. The cause/manner of death will be determined by the Collin County Medical Examiner’s Office.”

The Plano Police Department had visited Kneeland’s residence at the request of Frisco police at 11 p.m. Wednesday night but officers were unable to make contact with anyone there. At 11:40 p.m., Plano police said, officers responded to a separate call for a welfare concern associated with Kneeland at the same address, but again were unable to make contact.

Kneeland was selected by the Cowboys out of Western Michigan in the second round of the 2024 draft, less than three months after his mother, Wendy Kneeland, died suddenly of an undisclosed illness. Kneeland told the Dallas Morning News last year that he carried some of his mother’s ashes with him everywhere in a tiny urn on a chain around his neck.

“She helped me a lot in my younger years getting into football,” Kneeland said. “I always had the dream. I always told her, ‘I’m going to the NFL’ and I made it. It’s a hard situation just knowing she got to see me potentially going to the NFL and going through [the process]. She’s still with me. I got this urn of her ashes I carry with me everywhere. I still feel like she’s there watching over me.”

Kneeland played in 18 games, including four starts, and had 26 tackles, four quarterback hits and one sack. On Monday night against the Arizona Cardinals, Kneeland recovered a blocked punt in the end zone for his first NFL touchdown.

“I watched him fight his way from a hopeful kid at Western Michigan with a dream to being a respected professional for the Dallas Cowboys,” Kneeland’s agent, Jonathan Perzley, said in a statement. “Marshawn poured his heart into every snap, every practice, and every moment on the field. To lose someone with his talent, spirit, and goodness is a pain I can hardly put into words.”

Kneeland’s family also released a statement Thursday.

“We are devastated by this tremendous loss and are still processing the depth of our grief,” the family said. “As Marshawn was making his mark on the football field with the Dallas Cowboys, he held an even more special place off the field — as a devoted son, brother, uncle, cousin, nephew, grandson, and friend. He was kind, determined, humble, and full of love. His light shone brightly in every life he touched, and his spirit will continue to live on through the countless hearts he inspired.”

Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones has been fined, external $250,000 (£186,000) by the National Football League for making an obscene gesture towards fans on Sunday.

The 82-year-old was caught on camera raising his middle figure at the crowd during the Cowboys’ 37-22 win over the New York Jets at MetLife Stadium.

But Jones says he intended to put his thumb up instead, and was signalling to his own supporters – not those of the Jets.

“That was unfortunate. That was kind of an exchange with our fans out in front of us,” Jones said on 105.3 The Fan.

“There was a swarm of Cowboys fans out in front – not Jets fans, Cowboys fans.

“There wasn’t any antagonistic issue or anything like that. I just put up the wrong show on the hand. That was inadvertently done.

“I’m not kidding. If you want to call it accidental, you can call it accidental. But it got straightened around pretty quick.

“The intention was ‘thumbs up’, and basically pointing at our fans because everybody was jumping up and down.”

Carolina Panthers owner David Tepper was fined $300,000 (£223,000) for throwing a drink on fans during the 2023 season, while then Tennessee Titans owner Bud Adams was fined $250,000 (£186,000) in 2009 for gesturing at Buffalo Bills fans.

ARLINGTON, Texas — Brandon Aubrey and Brandon McManus traded short field goals in overtime, and Micah Parsons’ highly anticipated return to Dallas ended with the Cowboys and Green Bay Packers in a 40-40 tie Sunday night.

Dak Prescott and Jordan Love had three touchdown passes apiece in regulation, which included seven consecutive lead-changing TDs before McManus’ tying 53-yard field goal as time expired.

McManus kicked a 34-yarder as the clock hit 0:00 in overtime, after Love’s pass into the back of the end zone fell incomplete with just a second remaining.

What started as the hyped return of one of the game’s elite pass rushers exactly a month after the Cowboys (1-2-1) traded Parsons to the Packers (2-1-1) ended up as the second dramatic duel of quarterbacks in two home games for Dallas.

The Cowboys beat the Giants 40-37 in overtime two weeks earlier when Russell Wilson was starting for New York.

The second-highest scoring tie in pro football history, behind the Raiders’ 43-43 draw with the Boston Patriots in the AFL in 1964, was the first for Dallas since 1969. The Packers last tied in 2018.

The Cowboys had a first down at the Green Bay five-yard line to start overtime after Prescott ran away from pressure from Parsons for a spectacular 34-yard completion to Jalen Tolbert, who came back for the throw and just barely got his feet inbounds.

The drive stalled with help from Parsons, who caught Prescott from behind for no gain and was credited with his first sack of the game. The Cowboys settled for Aubrey’s 22-yard field goal.

Love completed a 14-yard pass to Matthew Golden on fourth-and-6 and led the Packers to a first down at the Dallas 12 before that drive stalled as well. The Packers QB was fortunate he still had a second remaining after he waited for Golden to get open in the back of the end zone and threw incomplete.

Romeo Doubs caught all three of Love’s TD passes and finished with 58 yards on six catches. Josh Jacobs rushed for two touchdowns and finished with 157 total yards. Love threw for 337 yards.

Javonte Williams powered in from the 1 in the wildcat for Dallas after Prescott split wide. The Cowboys took a 30-27 lead on Williams’ plunge with 4:50 remaining. Three more TDs would follow.

Prescott threw for 319 yards and ran for a score, and George Pickens had eight catches for 134 yards and two touchdowns with No. 1 receiver CeeDee Lamb sidelined by a high ankle sprain.

Parsons’ OT sack was the only one given up by a Dallas offensive line missing two starters. The banged-up Green Bay front was equally effective.

The only sack of Love came on a fumble that led to the second Dallas touchdown in the final 41 seconds of the first half.

The Packers were up 13-0 after Love’s second TD toss Doubs when Juanyeh Thomas blocked Brandon McManus’ PAT kick and Markquese Bell returned it for a two-point conversion, the first such 2-point play in Dallas franchise history.

That three-point swing was still the difference when Dallas took a 23-20 lead into the fourth quarter moments after Prescott’s eight-yard scoring toss to Jake Ferguson.

Micah Parsons heard the chanting.

He embraced it.

He even encouraged it.

“Thank you, Jerry!” the crowd at Lambeau Field yelled repeatedly Thursday night after the Green Bay Packers’ 27-18 win over the Washington Commanders.

The chant was addressed toward someone who was not there — Dallas Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones, who traded the 26-year-old star linebacker to Green Bay one week before the start of the season after a lengthy contract dispute.

The Packers sent two first-round picks and defensive tackle Kenny Clark to Dallas as part of the deal, but the chanting fans on hand at 1265 Lombardi Ave. for “Thursday Night Football” definitely seemed to be of the opinion that their beloved team had won the trade.

“I’m gonna lay out for a minute because this crowd has something to say,” Prime Video‘s Charissa Thompson said as she and her “TNF Nightcap” co-hosts sat with Parsons on the field ahead of a postgame interview. “I know you guys know what they’re saying. They’re saying, ‘Thank you, Jerry!’”

Parsons was shown bobbing his head and swaying his shoulders to the rhythm of the chant. He and Prime analyst Ryan Fitzpatrick, who was sitting directly to Parsons’ right, could be seen lifting their arms in an effort to further stir up the crowd.

Not that these fans needed any encouragement. The cheers were loud and often during the 10-minute interview, including other chants such as “Mi-cah!” and “Go, Pack, Go!” and “Let’s Go, Micah!”

Jones was a good sport when asked about the matter Friday during a radio interview.

“Well, I’ll tell you, the way they’re playing, the way Green Bay is playing, I’m all for them enjoying and chanting anything that they really want to [say],” Jones said on 105.3 The Fan in Dallas-Fort Worth.

Jones added: “If you make a move on a top player, this shouldn’t surprise anybody that we would have that kind of reaction from their fan base, the other team’s fan base, or, for that matter, our fan base in general. … I knew that if I got to make this trade, that this would be there.”

Parsons was selected at No. 12 overall by the Cowboys in the 2021 draft. He has made the Pro Bowl in each of his first four seasons, registering 52.5 sacks during that span.

His relationship with the Cowboys — or at least with Jones — soured going into the fifth and final year of Parsons’ rookie deal as negotiations for an extension stalled. Parsons demanded a trade Aug. 1 and got his wish weeks later. He and the Packers then agreed on a four-year, $188-million contract that makes him the highest paid non-quarterback in NFL history.

In a limited number of snaps during his first two games with Green Bay (30 in a Week 1 win over the Detroit Lions, 47 against the Commanders), Parsons has 1.5 sacks, three quarterback pressures, one quarterback hurry and three tackles.

He will return to AT&T Stadium with his new team in just a few weeks when the Packers play the Cowboys in Arlington, Texas, Sept. 28.

“Obviously, you know, my family and everyone’s looking forward to it, but I’m just gonna let the action talk,” Parsons said. “It’s just going to be funny because all my friends are there … so just going against those guys, it’s going to be heartbreaking. But, damn, I’m excited for the matchup.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Micah Parsons is headed to the Green Bay Packers after a blockbuster trade on Thursday, leaving the Dallas Cowboys following a lengthy contract dispute.

The two-time All-Pro edge rusher confirmed the deal in a text to The Associated Press. The Packers also announced the deal.

A person with knowledge of the details said Parsons and the Packers have agreed on a record-setting $188 million, four-year contract that includes $136 million guaranteed. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the trade hasn’t been announced.

Parsons becomes the highest-paid non-quarterback in NFL history.

“I never wanted this chapter to end, but not everything was in my control,” Parsons wrote in a statement he posted on X. “My heart has always been here, and still is. Through it all, I never made any demands. I never asked for anything more than fairness. I only asked that the person I trust to negotiate my contract be part of the process.”

Cowboys owner Jerry Jones declined to discuss Parsons’ deal with agent David Mulugheta. Instead, Jones spoke directly to Parsons and insisted they had agreed on the parameters of a new contract.

The Cowboys are receiving two first-round picks and veteran defensive tackle Kenny Clark for Parsons, a person with knowledge of the details told the AP. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the teams haven’t released the terms.

The 26-year-old Parsons has 52½ sacks, recording at least 12 in each of his four seasons while making the Pro Bowl each year.

Parsons provides a huge boost for a franchise that has reached the playoffs five of the past six years but hasn’t made it to the NFL championship game since Aaron Rodgers led them to their fourth Super Bowl title 15 years ago.

Parsons bolsters a defense that was inconsistent at getting to opposing quarterbacks last season, when the Packers went 11-7 and lost to Philadelphia in the NFC wild-card round. The Packers had 45 sacks last season to tie for eighth place in the NFL, but more than half of those sacks came in just four games.

In seven of their 17 games, the Packers had no more than one sack.

Green Bay ranked 16th in pressure rate, which calculates the number of hurries, knockdowns and sacks for each team divided by an opponent’s drop-back attempts.

Now, the Packers add one of the game’s elite pass rushers while the Cowboys lose their best player because of a power struggle with Jones.

Even with Parsons, who missed four games because of injury last season, Dallas finished 28th in defense and the team went 7-10. The Cowboys have a healthy Dak Prescott returning but this is a devastating blow for the defense.

The Packers haven’t had anyone get 12 sacks in a season since Za’Darius Smith had 12½ in 2020.

Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst spoke Wednesday about the philosophy of taking a “big swing” to land a superstar.

“I think every opportunity that’s out there to help your football team, we’ve always taken a look at try to see how it affects us right now, how does it affect us in the future and make the best decision we can,” Gutekunst said. “Sometimes we’ve been right, sometimes we’re wrong. Sometimes we’ve taken risks that really worked out for us. Sometimes it didn’t.

“Sometimes we didn’t take risks, and we look back and wish we would have and sometimes, you know, as (former general manager) Ted (Thompson) used to say, you know, God helps those that can’t help themselves a little bit sometimes. So sometimes the best deals you make are the ones you don’t, you know. And so you just kind of, I think you weigh everything, and you weigh what is in the moment and what is in the future as well.”

The Packers, who once signed Reggie White in free agency, just took their biggest swing in decades. White helped a Green Bay team led by Brett Favre win a Super Bowl and reach another on his way to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Micah Parsons has been traded from the Dallas Cowboys to the Green Bay Packers in a blockbuster deal one week before the start of a new NFL season.

The defensive end will sign a four-year, $188m (£139m) contract with the Packers that will make him the highest-paid non-quarterback in the league’s history on $47m (£35m) a year, NFL Network reported.

The Cowboys will receive two first-round draft picks and three-time Pro Bowler Kenny Clark as part of the deal.

The move ends a long-running contract dispute between Parsons and Dallas, which had escalated over the summer.

“I never wanted this chapter to end, but not everything was in my control,” Parsons said in a statement on X, confirming his move to the Packers.

“My heart has always been here, and it still is. Through it all, I never made any demands. I never asked for anything more than fairness. I only asked that the person I trust to negotiate my contract be part of the process.

“This is a sad day, but not a bitter one. I’ll never forget the joy of draft night, the adrenaline of running out of the tunnel, or the brotherhood I shared with my team-mates, coaches and the staff who prepared me for every single game. Those memories are mine forever.”

Parsons, 26, has earned four Pro Bowls and two All-Pro honours with the Cowboys since joining them in 2021 but he was entering the fifth and final year of his rookie contract this season.

He had removed references to the Cowboys from his social media and released a statement earlier this month saying he “no longer wanted to play for the Dallas Cowboys.”

The Packers will take on the Detroit Lions in their regular season opener at Lambeau Field on 7 September and face Dallas in week four.

Jerry Jones was diagnosed with Stage 4 melanoma in 2010 but overcame it with the help of an experimental trial drug, the Dallas Cowboys owner revealed this week.

“I was saved by a fabulous treatment and great doctors and a real miracle [drug] called PD-1 [therapy],” Jones told the Dallas Morning News on Tuesday. “I went into trials for that PD-1 and it has been one of the great medicines.

“I now have no tumors.”

Jones told the Morning News that he was diagnosed with cancer in June 2010 and began treatment at MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston soon after. In the decade that followed, Jones said, he underwent lung surgery twice and lymph node surgery two times as well.

He did not indicate when he began the PD-1 therapy.

According to the American Cancer Society, PD-1 is a protein that acts as an “off switch” to keep certain immune cells — T cells — from attacking normal cells. PD-1 inhibitor therapy blocks this protein to help the immune system better find and attack cancer cells.

Jones, 82, serves as the Cowboys’ president and general manager in addition to his role as owner. The first public mention of his diagnosis appears to have come during Episode 5 of the Netflix docuseries “America’s Team: The Gambler and His Cowboys,” which will be released Tuesday.

While telling an anecdote about a completely different subject — his relationship with former Cowboys coach Jimmy Johnson — Jones casually mentions that “12 or so years ago … I had some cancer treatment” at MD Anderson.

The Morning News followed up on that comment during its wider-range interview with Jones.

Receiver Konata Mumpfield made multiple plays. So did running back Jarquez Hunter and other Rams rookies during training camp and a joint practice with the Dallas Cowboys.

A true evaluation about their progress, however, cannot be completed by coach Sean McVay and his staff until the first-year players perform in a live-tackling situation.

The first opportunity for rookies and others to truly demonstrate that they are worthy of regular-season roles comes Saturday when the Rams play the Cowboys in a preseason game at SoFi Stadium.

But the most notable development for the Rams will probably occur hours before kickoff.

Quarterback Matthew Stafford, sidelined during training camp because of an aggravated disc in his back, is scheduled to go through his first significant passing workout at the Rams’ facility in Woodland Hills. McVay said the 17th-year pro would begin practicing next week.

McVay does not play starters or other significant players during preseason games, so veteran backup quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo will not play.

Tight end Terrance Ferguson, a second-round draft pick, probably won’t play because of a hamstring issue that has sidelined him for the last week.

Here are five things to watch Saturday when the Rams face the Cowboys at 4 p.m. PDT (ABC):

Sean McVay won’t have to worry about Matthew Stafford catching a twice-tipped pass and stumbling over the goal line during a joint practice with the Dallas Cowboys.

That anxiety-inducing event occurred last year when the Rams practiced against the Cowboys.

On Tuesday, the Rams again travel to Oxnard to practice against the Cowboys before Saturday’s preseason game at SoFi Stadium.

But the back issue that sidelined Stafford throughout training camp will keep him off the field.

When the Rams go through a jogthrough on Monday, Stafford will continue to work out on his own, McVay said Sunday after the final public workout at Loyola Marymount.

“He is able to do a little bit more, which is good, and things are progressing well,” McVay said. “But he won’t take part in the jogthrough because he’ll be doing some other stuff during that time.”

McVay said Stafford’s workouts with trainers have included some static throwing exercises, running on a treadmill, light cardio and core work.

“It’s more just functional strength surrounding the area while making sure that you don’t do anything to set yourself back, based on the trajectory that he’s doing,” McVay said. “But we are looking forward to getting him and easing him back to football hopefully in the near future.”

WAILUKU, Hawaii — The Rams returned to Southern California nearly a decade ago intent on capturing the heart of NFL fans in Los Angeles.

Now, with two Super Bowl appearances, one championship and a still glistening-like SoFi Stadium, they have their eyes set on a larger territory: the world.

The Rams’ trip to Maui last week for a minicamp was their latest foray into building a global brand.

“In the journey to growing your brand globally, there’s never an ‘Aha, this is a perfect moment,’” Rams president Kevin Demoff said as he stood on the field at War Memorial Stadium after a workout attended by several thousand fans. “But I think this is a great step.”

The Rams’ reach is expanding well beyond the United States.

As part of the NFL’s Global Markets Program, the Rams in the last decade were granted rights in Mexico, China, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, South Korea and the United Arab Emirates.

In February, the NFL announced that the Rams in 2026 would be the home team for the first NFL regular-season game in Australia. The game against a still-to-be determined opponent will be played at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.

On Thursday, Rams defensive tackle Kobie Turner, offensive lineman Steve Avila and tight end Davis Allen left Hawaii to travel to Melbourne for a family-friendly fan combine that was expected to draw thousands at Margaret Court Arena.

“While many many people travel to L.A. and we have many of our international fans come to a game at SoFi every year, putting it in somebody’s backyard makes it that much more accessible,” said Stephanie Cheng, the Rams’ head of international and special projects.

The Rams have sent ambassadors abroad before. Former running backs Steven Jackson and Todd Gurley made trips, and former safety Nick Scott accompanied the Super Bowl LVI trophy on a tour of Australia and Mexico.

Last March, safety Quentin Lake visited Japan. Though he was not there in an official capacity with the Rams, the fourth-year pro attended fashion week, an Ohtani-crazed Dodgers game against the Cubs and participated in other cultural activities.

Lake’s father, Carnell, a former NFL safety, played a 1996 exhibition game for the Pittsburgh Steelers against the Chargers at the Tokyo Dome.

During Lake’s own trip, he worked out with Tokyo University defensive backs.

“You would think in Japan, they don’t know football over there,” Lake said. “But they were doing drills and I was genuinely impressed. They’re playing football there in pads and helmets and I was like, this is insane. … That really gave me an appreciation that football is expanding.”

Rams safety Quentin Lake recently got a taste of how popular football is in Japan.

(Ryan Sun / Associated Press)

Jamison Collier, who describes herself as “just a super fan,” serves on the Rams’ fan council in Australia.

Collier’s husband, Zachariah Sepulveda, grew up in Orange County, “so his whole family supports the Rams,” she said.

The couple played together on a mixed rugby team. But one day, after seeing a team playing American football, Sepulveda decided he wanted to play. After one season, he encouraged his wife to try a training session.

“I was hooked,” she said.

Philadelphia Eagles tackle Jordan Mailata, an Australian who grew up playing rugby, made it to the NFL through the league’s International Player Pathway Program. Now, he is a Super Bowl champion.

The Rams’ scheduled game in Australia has created new fans, Collier said.

“Having Jordan Mailata play for the Philadelphia Eagles was a great way for the league to get exposure in Australia,” Collier said. “But the Rams have really capitalized on that by being, ‘Oh, well, look at that, we’re going to come play.’

“So people that were kind of just getting their foot in the door of watching the game have gone, ‘OK, well I don’t have a team. The Rams are coming. They’re my team,’ which is how a lot of people tend to get into a team. Over here, it’s one that’s close to your home, or the first game you go to.”

The Rams are not the only team expanding their brand in Australia. The Eagles, the Seattle Seahawks and the Las Vegas Raiders also have marketing rights.

Charlotte Offord, general manager of NFL Australia and New Zealand, said the NFL fan base has grown from 5.7 million to 7.5 million in nearly three years.

The Rams were the first team to open the market, and have grown it through player appearances, social media channels, books, watch parties, flag football and cheerleading clinics.

“Australian fans love sports so much, but they want the authentic product,” Offord said. “And so it’s not about an Australian talking about the Rams to another Australian. They want an American voice. They want the authentic players, the real players… which really brings to life the Rams brand.”

By setting up a Super Bowl watch party in Australia a few years ago, and then winning the game, the Rams “couldn’t have asked for a better entry into the market,” said Lucas Barclay, vice president and general manager of the 160over90 agency that helps market the Rams.

And Los Angeles as the “gateway” to the United States for Australians taking direct flights also gives the Rams an advantage, he said.

“The majority of people fly through L.A.,” he said, “and therefore L.A.’s become known as that team, that if you’re going to an NFL game or want to start to discover or uncover the NFL, then the Rams themselves are the team to do it.”

As the Rams prepare for their 10th season in L.A. since returning, they are anticipating another potential Super Bowl run.

Demoff noted that the fans who wore Rams T-shirts and jerseys as 5-year-olds in 2016 are now teenagers. In 10 years, those fans could be season-ticket holders to see the Rams play at a stadium that will also host the World Cup next year and the 2028 Olympics.

“I don’t think you look at the first decade and say, ‘Check, we did that,’” Demoff said. “We’ve had amazing growth, and when I look at all our metrics in terms of fandom and growth, I would say they’re certainly where we had hoped they would be.

“But I still think we can push for more.”

Locally and globally.

The goal is to be “the world’s team,” Demoff said.

“To be truly part of Los Angeles, you have to be part of the globe,” he said. “And as we’ve looked at our international efforts, we’re excited about the foothold and what we’re trying to gain, but there’s a lot more work to do.”