There comes a time in every man’s life when he must take a hard look at his current course to determine if it’s still the right direction. For Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo, that time is now.
And he’ll have some time to ponder things, too.
Out for likely at least the first half of the 2016 NFL season with a broken bone in his back, Romo needs to seriously consider hanging up the cleats, shoulder pads and Dallas star helmet for good.
It’s not fair. This was supposed to be a year of triumph as Romo returned to action after missing 12 games to collarbone injuries last season. He was supposed to lead one of the league’s most imposing offenses, and now he’ll be watching promising rookie Dak Prescott take the reins instead.
And make no mistake about it: The Cowboys will now live and die on the arm of Prescott in exactly the same way they would have if Romo were healthy.
But none of that really matters now for the 36-year-old veteran. This is the third time in four years that Romo’s back has been a problem, and it’s been four straight years now in which he has been seriously injured.
He suffered a herniated disc in 2013, requiring surgery. He suffered two fractured tranverse process in his back in 2014. He then missed most of last year with the collarbone injuries and is now out again before the 2016 season has even begun.
Making matters worse, he might not be able to play without first receiving epidural injections in his back, even when he’s deemed healthy enough to return.
Collarbones heal. Ankles, knees, arms, shoulders, they all heal.
Backs sometimes do not. And once they are busted, they’re sometimes busted for good. At this point, he’s one big hit away from potentially spending the rest of his life needing a cane to walk, or worse.
This is the case for every player who steps foot on the gridiron at every level. But for Romo, why tempt fate one more time?
Romo needs to think about the long-term health of the most important structural set of bones in his body. He’s already made almost $119 million in cash throughout his 13-year NFL career (Spotrac.com), and that doesn’t count endorsement money.
At this point, playing football any more seems like an unnecessary risk that makes little sense.
Competitive juices will probably never stop flowing for a guy like Romo who has been competing at the highest level for more than a decade. But he’ll find other ways to satisfy that urge. Golf is a passion he actually put on hold in order to focus solely on football.
The greens. The greens are a’calling. Run to the greens, Tony Romo. Run to the greens.