DeMarco Murray on leaving the Cowboys: ‘I’m sure they respect the decision I made’

IRVING, Texas DeMarco Murray insists that this Sunday will be like any other in his NFL career.

“This is a normal game for me,” he said.

Come again?

“I’m approaching it as any other game,” he said. “I’m not looking at it as facing the Cowboys. I’m going through my normal routine, my normal preparation and not trying to do anything extra to worry about anything I don’t have to worry about. Just preparing like I always prepare for any other game.”

Some may find that hard to believe. After all, Murray left the Cowboys in free agency and signed a five-year, $42 million deal with Philadelphia Dallas’ divisional rival. Murray’s move to Philadelphia in March was seen as a major event in the NFL offseason. He was the league’s rushing champion in 2014 and helped the Cowboys break the bonds of mediocrity during a 12-4 season.

A key figure, Murray was also admired by head coach Jason Garrett, quarterback Tony Romo and tight end Jason Witten. In the late winter, they were palling at Duke and SMU basketball games.

“Those guys are friends of mine,” he said. “Football, at the end of the day, is something that we do. But outside of football, they’re friends and I respect the decision. I’m sure they respect the decision I made, but I moved on. I’m sure they moved on. It is what it is.”

Sounds cold. But that’s what happens in the NFL, where money can interfere and change the dynamics of a partnership.

“DeMarco was a really good football player for our team,” Cowboys coach Jason Garrett said. “He’s a great young man. He’s a great person. We certainly appreciate everything he did for us when he was here. And he and I certainly have a relationship and will continue to have a relationship. He has a relationship with his teammates. He has a relationship with his coaches from here. And that continues. But he plays for another team now and we’re focused on ourselves and getting ready for this game on Sunday.”

Murray is doing the same thing 1,300 miles away in Philadelphia, where he says his days in Dallas are now just a distant memory.

“It’s in the past,” he said. “I’m over it. I think a lot of people are over it. We just got to continue the way we should prepare.”

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