http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=3192029
Terry Bradshaw is bemused by
Tony Romo -- especially how, when, where, and with whom Romo chooses to relax.
"If only Tony had called me and said, 'Terry, Jessica [Simpson] and I are going to go to Mexico,' I would've told him: 'You crazy? Don't do that! The paparazzi is going to find you, man. You're a star. She's a star. It's just going to happen,' " Bradshaw said in an interview with the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
"Tony is obviously different than me. He's one of the young kids who wears his cap on backward. It's cool. And God bless him. I like the heck out of Tony Romo. I just wouldn't have done what he did ... I couldn't allow my mind to go there."
Romo, who has been linked with various celebrity girlfriends, is currently keeping company with Simpson, who wore a pink and white jersey with Romo's No. 9 when she watched him play (and lose) against the Eagles on Dec. 16. Last week, during the
Dallas Cowboys' bye week, they flew to Mexico and lounged at a resort there, raising eyebrows and questions as the Cowboys prepare to face the
New York Giants in an NFC semifinal.
Bradshaw didn't appear to be criticizing the quarterback on moral grounds. But he did wonder why Romo would put himself in the position he finds himself in, especially when he must realize that Cowboys fans were putting their collective postseason hopes on his shoulders. Bradshaw, an analyst with Fox NFL Sunday who won four Super Bowls with the
Pittsburgh Steelers, said he would not have been able to detach himself off mentally for such a public vacation.
"For an athlete, there's no time off ... until it's over," Bradshaw said. "You don't take a mental break ... No way that I would ever, ever do what Tony did."
"Everybody in Dallas knows you played horribly when Jessica showed up [against Philadelphia]. OK, now what if you play poorly [against the Giants]? You haven't exactly lit up the place lately. I don't understand. Why set yourself up?"
New York Giants linebacker
Michael Strahan, who is newly divorced, had some fun with the topic in Thursday's news conference. "You guys love to say, 'Oh, he is coming off the beach and he is dating Jessica Simpson.' Please! Heck, if Jessica Simpson wanted to date me, I may give her a shot."
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, meanwhile, said he had no issue with Romo and how he spent his bye week.
"I have no qualms, no concerns about Tony's social life or his relationships," Jones said. "I have had a lot of concerns during my 19 years as owner about a lot of players. I am not a novice in this area. But there is not one concern about how he relaxes or what he does with his time."
Simpson, by the way, is reportedly not planning to attend Sunday's playoff game in Texas.
Information from the Associated Press was used in this report.