Tony Romo underwent back surgery to repair a herniated disk last Friday morning. It would stand to reason that he was still in a significant amount of pain as he watched his Dallas Cowboys lose to the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday night, but that did not stop the 33-year-old from proving his worth as a team leader. On Monday, Romo made his way to Valley Ranch for an end-of-season team meeting.
According to Brandon George of The Dallas Morning News, Romo “moved slowly” through the hallway of the team facility.
“That just speaks to what he is, going to find a way to come in, see the guys,” tight end Jason Witten said. “It was obviously an emotional time. I thought it was great of him to come and be here and just share in this time. That was very stand-up of him to be here in the midst of the pain I’m sure he’s in.”
The meeting lasted about 25 minutes, with Jerry Jones and head coach Jason Garrett each addressed the team. Jones was said to be his typical optimistic self, though he did tell the team there were changes coming during the offseason. Romo did not speak to the media after the meeting.
“It’s been a tough eight months for him physically,” Witten added. “But I feel confident in him. I know what he’s made of. I know how he works, I know how he competes, I know how he trains. I’m confident he’ll come back. I know what he’s made of.”
As I’ve said before, there is no defending Romo’s poor play in clutch situations. However, some people take his tendency to choke to mean Romo lacks toughness. That is hardly the truth, as he probably played through a great deal of pain against the Washington Redskins in Week 16 and did everything he could to try to play against the Eagles. Romo is a tough player and a leader in his own right.
