Tony Romo’s NFL career may be over, but before he moves into the broadcast booth, he’ll first join the Dallas Mavericks. That’s right, the now former Cowboys franchise quarterback will turn his sights to professional basketball, if only for a day.
The Mavs plan to honor Romo on Tuesday during the team’s final home game of the season, according to ESPN.com’s Marc Stein, who writes that “the Mavericks intend to have Romo on the bench and in uniform for their final regular-season home date against the Denver Nuggets as a means of paying tribute to the longtime former Cowboy.”
This sounds like much more than a ceremonial act; the Mavs lost guard Seth Curry for the season with a shoulder injury, and owner Mark Cuban said several times in recent weeks that the team was looking for “a pass-first point guard.” You could jokingly say that Romo made his living because of his unselfish, pass-first mentality, but Stein points out that, according to people in the organization, Cuban was referring to Romo.
And while the plan is to treat the quarterback as a member of the Mavs for a day, there are no plans to actually let him play against the Nuggets. Romo last played organized basketball in high school, though we did find this footage of him running the point during a pickup game a few years ago:
Romo, who joined the Cowboys in 2003, has been a Mavs fan for much of his time in Dallas. He’s also good friends with Cuban, who reportedly wouldn’t consider letting Romo “join the team” if the Mavs weren’t already out of the playoff race.
After his one-day NBA stint, Romo will become the lead NFL game analyst at CBS, where he’ll be paired with announcer Jim Nantz and sideline reporter Tracy Wolfson on the network’s No. 1 NFL team.
“When you think about the NFL, two of the most iconic brands are the Dallas Cowboys and CBS Sports,” Romo said Tuesday. “Going from one legendary team to another as I begin the next phase of my career is a dream come true. I have always known that once my playing career was over I wanted to become a broadcaster. I am ecstatic for the opportunity to work with Jim as I learn the craft and convey to fans my passion for this great game.”
