By 2016, Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo had firmly established himself as one the best at his position, however, he was also coming back from yet another in a mind-boggling and soul-crushing list of injuries.
Romo wouldn’t even make it to the season opener this time, suffering broken bones in his back in his exhibition debut. Already showing extremely well in the preseason, rookie QB Dak Prescott now had the regular season reigns as well and after an opening-week loss, the Cowboys went on an 11-game win streak to ultimately finish 13-3 and lock up the top seed in the NFC Playoffs. During the streak, Romo decided to end the chatter, fueled by a vocally supportive structure of owner Jerry Jones and head coach Jason Garrett. He stood in front of the media and gave a heartfelt speech that turned the keys of the franchise over to Prescott.
In a recent interview on In Depth with Graham Bensinger, Romo discussed what it was like losing his job.
“Well, I think anybody who’s winning that many games, their team was playing so well, I mean that’s kind of what will always happen,” Romo said. “You just don’t mess with that kind of success.”
“Football is really not about any individual, but we all want to be the best…one of the major reasons you’re winning and being great. You know, as you become a dad and you get older, you can kind of see there are rare multiple sides. It’s just not about me. It’s about so many more people. I just feel like when your team is playing well and everybody is playing really good football, it’s just a team sport. It’s not about an individual.”
Bensinger also asked why it was important to Romo to deliver the message he did during his press conference after he realized Prescott was the new captain of the ship.
“Well, there are multiple reasons. I think one, it’s just an opportunity for kids, you know? You think about how many kids out there want to play and start and be the best and sometimes you have a setback or things don’t go your way. I like said, being a dad you kind of hope sometimes they handle things a certain way and sometimes it’s better to try and live it than just tell them sometimes and I felt like I could just help some kid out there going through it.”
Totally classy and what the public who actually paid attention would expect from a guy like Romo. The way he handled the 2016 situation was a reminder of why it’s important to put the team before one’s self when winning is the ultimate goal.
Romo would only throw four passes in the Cowboys season finale vs the Eagles, and they would be the final passes of his career. Just as he was ready to ascend into the pantheon of great quarterbacks, he body could no longer support his will, but he’s done well for himself since. Romo was immediately snatched up to do color commentary for CBS, and has been a revelation to sports broadcasting. After his initial contract expired, Romo re-signed with the broadcast company to become the highest-paid in industry history earlier this year.
[vertical-gallery id=642436][lawrence-newsletter]