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Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott says he "deeply regrets" praising fans for throwing objects at officials.

The Cowboys suffered a surprise 23-17 home defeat by the San Francisco 49ers in the NFL's play-offs on Sunday.

Prescott, 28, initially said it was "sad" that fans were throwing rubbish at the team but when told it was aimed at officials, he said "credit to them".

He later tweeted: "I was caught up in the emotion of a disappointing loss and my words were uncalled for and unfair."

Prescott was trying to lead the Cowboys to a game-tieing touchdown in the final minute, but with no timeouts left, he elected to run the ball down the middle of the field.

And he ran out of time for one more play because an official needed to touch the ball before the next snap.

"I deeply regret the comments I made regarding the officials after the game," he wrote on Twitter on Tuesday.

"I hold the NFL officials in the highest regard and have always respected their professionalism and the difficulty of their jobs.

"The safety of everyone who attends a game or participates on the field of a sporting event is a very serious matter.

"That was a mistake on my behalf, and I am sorry."

Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones has stated there is "no place" for fans throwing items as they did in the wake of Sunday's defeat.

Prescott had been given the chance to re-consider his comments at the end of his news conference on Sunday and he has since been widely criticised.

Basketball's National Association of Referees condemned Prescott's comments for "condoning violence against game officials".

"As an NFL leader, he should know better," the association tweeted.

"We encourage the NFL to take action to discourage this deplorable behaviour in the future."