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Romo: "The Man for the 2000s?"
October 30, 2007 5:15 PM
In what may have been one of the most surreal news conferences in club history, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones announced quarterback Tony Romo's six-year, $67.5 million contract, and then passed along some time-honored dating advice.
Moments after a non-Hashmarks sanctioned reporter interrupted the proceedings with a question about Romo's alleged run-in with Britney Spears in Los Angeles on Friday, Jones slowly leaned forward and said in his best Arkansas accent, "I've told Tony that sometimes they can smell fresh cash."
The line drew huge laughter, and I turned to my right just in time to see the owner's daughter, Charlotte, rolling her eyes. Romo was in the middle of answering the next question when he paused, looked over at Jones and said, "That was pretty good."
You can buy into all this "I'm just happy to be here" Romo storyline or you can know the truth, which is that no quarterback this side of Joe Willie has ever enjoyed the stage like this kid.
As Jones and coach Wade Phillips showered him with praise for about 45 minutes, Romo desperately tried to supress a grin that has contributed mightily to his growing fortune. Repeatedly asked whether the money would change him, he finally deadpanned, "I think definitely I'm a better person now because I have more money."
And the Valley Ranch press corps roared its approval.
Both Jones and his son, Stephen, talked about the active role Tony played in the negotiation process. At one point, Stephen told the quarterback he wasn't willing to concede a certain aspect of the contract. Romo walked down the hall to the elder Jones' office, and within seconds, had what he was looking for.
"I should've dealt with [Jerry] the whole time," Romo told Stephen, who said he'd never had a player take such an active role in negotiations.
Not a man prone to understatement, Jones struggled to find the right words to describe his franchise quarterback's widespread appeal. Then his eyes suddenly lit up.
"He's the man of the 2000s!" Jones blurted.
At this point, things started to feel a lot more like a political rally. I'm not sure what "The Man of the 2000s" means because we're still trying to determine the Man of the 1900s.
By the end of the news conference, reporters were demanding to know if the new contract might prompt Romo to abandon the apartment he's shared with his male roommate since getting kicked out by former teammate Al Johnson for being too messy. (Yes, I know it's weird for an NFL center to kick out a quarterback due to poor housekeeping, but that's what happened).
In a fitting end to the afternoon, I observed at least 10 reporters from Spanish-language outlets chasing Romo's father, Ramiro, down a narrow hallway. I heard one of the reporters shouting, "Por favor! Por favor" as the elder Romo retreated to the coaches' offices.
Tony Romo, Jerry Jones, Wade Phillips, Ramiro Romo, Al Johnson
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http://myespn.go.com/blogs/hashmarks/0-3-640/Romo---The-Man-for-the-2000s--.html
October 30, 2007 5:15 PM
In what may have been one of the most surreal news conferences in club history, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones announced quarterback Tony Romo's six-year, $67.5 million contract, and then passed along some time-honored dating advice.
Moments after a non-Hashmarks sanctioned reporter interrupted the proceedings with a question about Romo's alleged run-in with Britney Spears in Los Angeles on Friday, Jones slowly leaned forward and said in his best Arkansas accent, "I've told Tony that sometimes they can smell fresh cash."
The line drew huge laughter, and I turned to my right just in time to see the owner's daughter, Charlotte, rolling her eyes. Romo was in the middle of answering the next question when he paused, looked over at Jones and said, "That was pretty good."
You can buy into all this "I'm just happy to be here" Romo storyline or you can know the truth, which is that no quarterback this side of Joe Willie has ever enjoyed the stage like this kid.
As Jones and coach Wade Phillips showered him with praise for about 45 minutes, Romo desperately tried to supress a grin that has contributed mightily to his growing fortune. Repeatedly asked whether the money would change him, he finally deadpanned, "I think definitely I'm a better person now because I have more money."
And the Valley Ranch press corps roared its approval.
Both Jones and his son, Stephen, talked about the active role Tony played in the negotiation process. At one point, Stephen told the quarterback he wasn't willing to concede a certain aspect of the contract. Romo walked down the hall to the elder Jones' office, and within seconds, had what he was looking for.
"I should've dealt with [Jerry] the whole time," Romo told Stephen, who said he'd never had a player take such an active role in negotiations.
Not a man prone to understatement, Jones struggled to find the right words to describe his franchise quarterback's widespread appeal. Then his eyes suddenly lit up.
"He's the man of the 2000s!" Jones blurted.
At this point, things started to feel a lot more like a political rally. I'm not sure what "The Man of the 2000s" means because we're still trying to determine the Man of the 1900s.
By the end of the news conference, reporters were demanding to know if the new contract might prompt Romo to abandon the apartment he's shared with his male roommate since getting kicked out by former teammate Al Johnson for being too messy. (Yes, I know it's weird for an NFL center to kick out a quarterback due to poor housekeeping, but that's what happened).
In a fitting end to the afternoon, I observed at least 10 reporters from Spanish-language outlets chasing Romo's father, Ramiro, down a narrow hallway. I heard one of the reporters shouting, "Por favor! Por favor" as the elder Romo retreated to the coaches' offices.
Tony Romo, Jerry Jones, Wade Phillips, Ramiro Romo, Al Johnson
Read comments or leave a comment
http://myespn.go.com/blogs/hashmarks/0-3-640/Romo---The-Man-for-the-2000s--.html
types. 