To know Dallas Cowboys linebacker DeMarvion Overshown is to know that his heart is always in the right place.

His worth ethic, his dedication to the team and his faith can’t be questioned. Neither can his ability to overcome setbacks and hardships, considering he has missed 38 games due to injuries since his rookie season in 2023.

So his embarrassing penalty in the 33-30 victory against the Indianapolis Colts last week can be initially brushed off as an overexcited indiscretion of youthful exuberance on his part.

He came onto the field to celebrate after Quinnen Williams forced a Jonathan Taylor fumble that Shemar James returned to the Dallas 30.

Overshown was penalized 15 yards, with referee Clay Martin saying, “After the play, unsportsmanlike conduct by Dallas. We have non-uniformed player in blue sweats and a stocking cap come onto the field to celebrate. That’s a 15-yard penalty.”

He was just trying to celebrate with his beaten down defensive teammates after a big play. That he ran on the field in street clothes because he was inactive for the game with an injury is where it crossed the line.

Overshown, who apologized to his teammates afterwards, said don’t blame coach Brian Schottenheimer, blame him. It is fault alone.

“At the end of the day, I talked to Schotty about it,” Overshown said. “I apologized about it. It was definitely in the moment, but earlier I had said that as a defense, we’re going to start celebrating more, getting takeaways. And I was just caught in the moment. So you can laugh at it now, because we won the game, but in the moment, fourth quarter, tied ball game or close ball game, you don’t want a 15-yard penalty from a guy, especially that’s not even playing. So that’s a lesson learned.”

“It’s not an indictment on Schotty. It’s on me as a player. I own it,” he said.

The problem is that in taking ownership of penalty he unwittingly indicted Schottenheimer and the Cowboys coaching staff.

Overshown said he didn’t know he could run on the field if he wasn’t in uniform until veteran linebacker Dee Winters told him.

“Honestly, I really didn’t know the rules,” Overshown said. “I was running on the field and (Dee Winters) was like, ‘D-Mo you can’t be out here.’ And that’s when I looked back and I had already seen the ref pointing at me. At that point, I was like ‘I’m just gonna take this butt-chewing I’m about to get.’ But it won’t happen again.”

It begs the question, how could he not know? As well as why didn’t anyone on coaching staff tell him as much?

It’s another example of the ball being dropped or something slipping through the cracks. That falls on the head coach.

Just as the Overshown penalty proved to be an example of larger problem relating to a lack of discipline on the Cowboys. It was one of a whopping 14 penalties for 153 by the Cowboys in the Colts game.

“I get it. Like, we already had 13,14 penalties. ‘They aren’t getting one from a guy that’s not even playing? It’s like “what are we doing?’” Overshown said. “But I wouldn’t say that’s a part of an undisciplined team. That’s just me not being aware of what’s going on. That’s not an indictment on Schotty or the team – just me as a player, not being aware of what’s going on. Like I said, I own it and I moved on.”

Overshown has moved on. He will play Sunday against the San Francisco 49ers and try to give Cowboys fans something else to talk about.

But the incident will live on infamy.

It was funny. It was embarrassing. And it was typical of an undisciplined team.

Vice president Stephen Jones acknowledged as much.

“It is (unacceptable). … It’s not a good look. It’s not a disciplined look,” Jones said. “We certainly didn’t play a disciplined game yesterday with (14) penalties. We have to be better than that.”

The entire ordeal had quarterback Dak Prescott frustrated and lashing out at his teammates, namely on the sideline like never before.

“I mean, I was pissed,” Prescott said. “I spoke my mind, and I think I don’t think I’ve ever been short or shy in a moment when it’s you know truly, truly bothered me. And yeah, that was just a big play…the turnover happened and a flag comes out and yeah it’s just like we did some great stuff here like let’s not minimize it.”

Prescott’s frustration remain acute.

He said it’s not his job to police teammates and be the bad cop when it comes to discipline.

“I don’t think, me personally, if you need somebody to tell you what you should and shouldn’t do, I don’t know if this is the business for you,” Prescott said.

“We’re grown men at the end of the day.”

Ultimately, it’s on the coaching staff and Schottenheimer to set the tone on discipline and inform the players of the rules.

Ignorance is not an excuse.