The Tony Romo saga with the Dallas Cowboys is over, with the team releasing him and Romo coming over to join CBS Sports as the lead NFL analyst.
But there’s still a little bit of drama to unpack as it relates to his departure. Appearing Wednesday on the “Ben and Skin Show” on 105.3 the Fan, a CBS Sports Radio station, Romo talked at length about how much it meant to him that Jerry Jones had his back throughout what eventually became a difficult 2016 season.
“He’s been great. He’s been there for me through my entire time. There wasn’t anybody who stood up for me more last year,” Romo said of Jones. “That meant as much as anything, just the fact that he loved me and wanted good things for me. Things happen and that’s what happens in life. But you remember the people that help you along the way and appreciate you and love on you and give you grace and try and do the things that you’d hopefully want to do for others. He exemplifies that stuff.
“I really wish people would get a chance to see his heart and the way he just loves this football team, loves his family and just loves the people that have done right by him. There’s not a more loyal guy that you’ll ever meet. He’s always been that way and he’s always going to be that way.”
Not mentioned in the conversation about the Cowboys’ season was head coach Jason Garrett. And, according to Clarence Hill of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Romo and Garrett still haven’t spoken since the end of the season.
Apparently, according to Hill, Romo feels “let down” by Garrett rolling with Dak Prescott instead of Romo.
“Per a source, Romo felt let down by Garrett’s decision to stick with Dak Prescott and not give him a chance to win his starting job back after missing the first nine games of 2016 with a fractured bone in his back,” Hill wrote.
Perhaps this harkens back to a bit of the rumors about Romo taking the way things unfolded personally? How could he not, given the circumstances?
Romo was the face of the franchise, the picture people thought of when they considered the Dallas Cowboys. And everything was taken away with a preseason injury and the strong play of Prescott, a late-round pick who wasn’t supposed to be ready.
Without that injury, Romo is probably gearing up to make another run at a huge season. Maybe the Cowboys even advanced further in the playoffs.
It’s irrelevant because he’s retired now -- or close to it -- and thrilled to be joining CBS. But certainly the way things went down during the season could linger with Romo, particularly if there hasn’t been a patching up between he and Garrett.
