With the possible exception of Brett Favre’s off-season flights in and out of the Hattiesburg airport, no NFL player has had his travel scrutinized like Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo.
Romo, of course, took a much-discussed trip to Cabo San Lucas before the Cowboys’ playoff loss to the New York Giants two years ago. And when news broke over the weekend that Romo and wide receiver Miles Austin took a trip to Las Vegas after the team’s Thanksgiving game against the Raiders, it became a story on TMZ, at least until TMZ decided to go all-Tiger Woods, all the time.
But Cowboys owner Jerry Jones wants everyone to know it’s a non-story.
“I don’t want to be naive, and I recognize that Las Vegas has a certain connotation,” Jones said on his radio show Tuesday, per Charean Williams of the Star-Telegram. “I too don’t want to be jumping on that either. They need all the pep-up they can get out there in Las Vegas, and that’s where many of us go and it’s a respite. But I think we all understand how we would point to that and think, ‘Well, OK, Las Vegas.' "
Jones said Romo was on time for treatment on his sore back on Saturday at the team facility, and that’s all that matters to him.
“So any of these guys can’t get too far away because they have to be there bright and early. I’m talking about 7 or 8 in the morning out there or earlier on a practice day to get treatments. And he was there sharp and on time,” Jones said. “But that gave him a little break away from it.”
There has long been talk in the media that Romo needs to live and breathe football, and that he lacks the work ethic to become a great NFL quarterback. But it’s clear from hearing Jones that Romo’s boss doesn’t buy into that talk.