There are only two press conferences in the NFL that have ever brought tears to my eyes. One was Peyton Manning’s retirement speech and the second happened on Wednesday, it was that of Tony Romo. Romo called an impromptu press conference beginning by telling reporters he would not take questions, what followed was 4 minutes of what it is likely to be one of the rarest sights in sports history and perhaps a turning point, a peaceful changing of the guard.
Romo began by talking about what it was like to suffer the heartbreaking back injury that has now effectively ended his season. Saying that the team around him was the most talented he had ever had and talking about the heartbreak of what could have been for his storied career. What followed next will go down in history as one of the greatest sports quotes of all time. “Football is a meritocracy you aren’t handed anything you earn everything every single day over and over again. You have to prove it. That’s the way the NFL, that’s the way that football works. A great example of this is Dak Prescott and what he’s done. He’s earned the right to be our quarterback. As hard as that is for me to say, he’s earned that right.”
Let that sink in for a second. How hard that is for Romo to say, for any quarterback to say, “I’ve lost control of my team.” The fact he came out to the public and put to rest any talks of a qaurterback controversy, how much that shows us about Tony Romo as a person. Romo has been labeled as a lot of things, Choke artist, lower tier quarterback, a guy that can get you a solid record but can’t perform in December and January. Those labels are all irrelevant, there’s only one label appropriate for Tony Romo, A Leader.
The reason I think it’s important we look at this event in football history is because I believe it can teach us something very valuable about the sport. No matter how good of a quarterback you have on your team how do you think they would handle being replaced? I doubt Matt Ryan, Tom Brady, Aaron Rodgers, Cam Newton, or even a humble Russel Wilson figure would transition this smoothly. Look how much better it works though you aren’t caught up in months of argument that damage the reputation of the players or the organizations involved. Look at how the Broncos qb situation deteriorated last offseason what if Brock Oswieler had been more humble, he might still be on the Broncos. America’s team has taught every league in this country a lesson a transition through peace is better than one that ends with conflict.
No matter how you define leadership Romos comments show us how great of a leader he is. I define leadership as giving all the credit to others for your successes and taking all the criticism for not only yours but the group your leadings failures. Tony Romo has done that, he knows how good Dak Prescott is as a quarterback and has given him credit for all the hard work he has done to win the Cowboys starting job. While putting to rest any thoughts that there is a QB controversy in Dallas and taking responsibility for his injury and the position it put him in, even though he did not have to. Tony Romos lasting legacy in Dallas might be this press conference, the most honest words about football and the quarterbacking position in general certainly isn’t a bad way to be remembered.
View Romo’s full statement here
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nw1GXGIFtVA