The Trevon Diggs situation never followed a normal script. Diggs once looked like a cornerstone player, someone the franchise could build around on defense. Now the Dallas Cowboys are moving on, and along the way, Diggs gave Jerry Jones more than enough reasons to reach that point.

Former Cowboys wide receiver Jesse Holley believes the breakdown came down to something deeper than football.

“And this is why I say if a person is not in love with football, a place like this will ruin you. And I don’t know whether you blame the place or you blame the lack of discipline, integrity, that you come here, it changes. It changes, and you can get caught up in that. You can get caught up in this life,” he said on the Hangin’ With The Boys podcast.

In his view, if football isn’t the priority, Dallas is the worst possible environment. Everything is louder. The fame, the money, the commercials  — all of it carries more weight with the Cowboys than almost anywhere else. Without a real love for the game and without people around you who keep you grounded, it’s easy to drift. And once that happens, it can go downhill fast.

That’s what it has looked like with Diggs. The off-field issues became too much to ignore, and they started before the season even kicked off. After knee surgery in the offseason, the Cowboys docked Diggs $500,000 from his base salary, citing that he didn’t complete enough of his contractually required rehab work with the team’s medical staff during the summer.

When training camp opened in late July, there was still no clear timetable for his return. Diggs split his rehab between the team’s staff and his personal trainer, pushing to show he was ready. He lobbied hard to play in the season opener, and the Cowboys allowed it. But he wasn’t right.

By October 25, Diggs was placed on injured reserve. The listed reasons were knee soreness and lingering effects from a concussion. That concussion, though, only added to the confusion. There was never a clear explanation of how it happened. What filtered out was that it didn’t occur at the facility or on the field. All anyone really knew was that it happened at home.

It eventually took a season-ending injury to DaRon Bland to get Diggs back into the lineup. Even then, nothing stabilized. And soon after, they released him. And his recent stunt might have something to do with that.

Trevon Diggs broke the rules yet again before release

Trevon Diggs was back on the field in Week 16, even though the Dallas Cowboys were already out of the playoff picture. He finished that game with six tackles. Four days later, on Christmas, he suited up again when Dallas faced the Washington Commanders, playing every snap. Five days after that, the Cowboys released him.

What happened in between matters. And while it wasn’t the sole reason Dallas moved on, it clearly didn’t help. After the Christmas Day win in Washington, Diggs asked to stay behind in D.C. so he could get a head start on the holidays with family who live in the area.

According to reports, that request was denied by head coach Brian Schottenheimer, who wanted the team to travel back together before players were officially dismissed for the long weekend. Diggs stayed anyway. He did not fly back to Dallas with the team.

In isolation, it’s not a career-ending offense. But within the larger context, it became another example of friction between player and organization. It joined a list of off-field issues that had already strained the relationship.

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What matters now is that he gets another opportunity. The playoff-bound Green Bay Packers claimed Diggs off waivers Wednesday, adding help to a secondary that needed it. It’s a fresh start, and sometimes that’s all a player needs. We’ll find out soon enough whether this chapter plays out differently.