Cowboys Carr Mourns But Returns To 'Safe Haven'

By Mike Fisher

OXNARD (CBSDFW.COM) - Brandon Carr has returned to his "safe haven." The Cowboys cornerback has missed the entirety of training camp to be with his mother Kathy, who on July 30 died after a long battle with cancer.

"This is my safe haven out here on the field," said Carr, who joined the team on Saturday for the first time following funeral services in Michigan. "When I get out here, there aren't as many distractions. I'm in my comfort zone. It's so good to finally get back on the field with these guys and get back to a normal routine."

 Carr expressed appreciation for the support from the Cowboys organization and from secondary mates Mo Claiborne and J.J. Wilcox, who both recently lost parents.

"Guys that have been through similar situations, those are the guys I kind of leaned on to help me get through this new process," Carr said. "But guys pretty much every day, a teammate text me asking how I'm doing or just crack a joke whatever the case may be or whatever was needed for the day."

Coach Jason Garrett said Carr will be eased back into his usual role with the Cowboys. "Any time anyone has lost a loved one in their life, they understand what he's been going through, particularly someone who he is as close to as his mom," Garrett said. "So it was the right thing for him to be there and to be with his family during this tough time and now somehow, some way he has to get his mind right to be able to come back and be a player for our football team, and he'll be able to do that."

Carr will do that in part due to being inspired by his mother's strength.

The fight his mother showed inspired Carr. It will drive him during the season, especially early in training camp. "I told my daughter and the women around me to see the fight a woman should have, the true strength of woman you can't measure," he said. "You kind of take it for granted at times, but in that situation it showed. "At the end of the day, you only get one mother."

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