Cooper DeJean and Dallas Cowboys cheerleader Abby Summers hit the Kentucky Derby red carpet
A teammate confirmed it was 'hard launch day' after the couple hit the Derby red carpet on Saturday
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}You have to hand it to Philadelphia Eagles defensive back Cooper DeJean and Dallas Cowboys cheerleader Abby Summers. These two appear to be choosing love over divisional rivalry.
That's not easy to do in a world that seems to be constantly taking a giant steamy pile on love. Nor is it easy to do in the NFC East. This isn’t going to sit well with some fans from both NFL franchises.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}They don’t want to see an Eagles star and a Cowboys cheerleader together, but here they are. One is a highly skilled second-round pick who won a Super Bowl as a rookie, the other a member of America's Sweethearts.
Take the rivalry out of it, as hard as that is for some to do, and this is exactly the type of relationship the NFL needs. Two young NFL stars working hard to leave their mark on the league.
DeJean and Summers were among those who made an appearance on the Kentucky Derby red carpet on Saturday. This comes after the two were spotted together at Iowa's Elite Eight loss in March.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}ZERO BS. JUST DAKICH. TAKE THE DON'T @ ME PODCAST ON THE ROAD. DOWNLOAD NOW!
Cooper DeJean attends the 152nd Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky., on May 2, 2026. (Daniel Boczarski/Getty Images)
Does March Madness plus Churchill Downs equal an NFL love story? Can we officially add the title of NFL WAG to the bio of the Cowboys cheerleader, and noted respecter of summer?
We can, according to Dallas Cowboys cheerleader Kleine Powell. The veteran commented on the pregame TikTok video Summers posted. Powell wrote, "Derby day aka hard launch day." She added some emojis and "cuteeee" to make it official.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}You know Summers' teammate isn't throwing around phrases like "hard launch day" carelessly. Not when there's a divisional rivalry involved.
Cowboys fans, who already had a hard time with how last season played out with the Eagles on top of the division, aren't going to be thrilled that a cheerleader is ignoring the rivalry and dating an opponent.
But getting it out of the way in May is much easier to do than trotting out a social media official post midseason with the potential of Cooper DeJean being lined up on the other side in a game with the season on the line.
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All in all, it hasn’t been a bad offseason for DeJean. Can he and Summers make it through the season as rivals? I can't tell you the answer to that, but I can assure you, as someone who is team romance, that I'll be rooting for them.