It seems everyone has an opinion about Tony Romo's love life these days. In fact, analyzing his relationship with Jessica Simpson in terms of how it affects his performance on the field has become a national obsession.
On this topic alone, I've received over 300 e-mails this week. Cowboys fans apparently believe Romo should have taken a vow of celibacy until after the Super Bowl, and that the very presence of Simpson could be destroying his focus.
I've said from the start that nothing was inherently wrong with Romo and a couple of his teammates joining the Simpsons in Cabo San Lucas. Coach Wade Phillips told his players to get off their feet and relax for a few days, and judging by all those Internet photos, Romo, Witten and the less-heralded Bobby Carpenter were simply following orders.
Now, the league's moral conscience, Terry Bradshaw, has decided to weigh in on the topic. He's well qualified for this type of thing since Farrah Fawcett and Cheryl Tiegs were beating down his door in the 70s.
"For an athlete, there's no time off ... until it's over," Bradshaw told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. "You don't take a mental break. 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."
Is it just me or do those quotes make Bradshaw sounds like he's 80? I've spent a little time around the former Steeler great and he's an entertaining guy. But if he actually thinks all this mess will affect the way Romo plays Sunday, he hasn't spent any time around the kid.
On Romo's off day Tuesday, he spent about six hours at Valley Ranch. When he first signed with the Cowboys, he used to meet his quarterbacks coach at the facility and throw until well past midnight. And quite honestly, these are the reasons he doesn't give a damn about what any of us think about his relationship with Simpson.
Privately, he wonders why his brilliant play this season doesn't earn him the benefit of the doubt. He had two bad games this season. (Three if you count a Washington game the Cowboys didn't try to win).
The carefree approach that has won him so many fans is now being used as the basis for criticism. He says it doesn't bother him, but he did call out a local columnist for writing a "bad article" after the Eagles game and scolded the media for blaming Simpson for his troubles.
In fact, receiver Terrell Owens had to apologize to her, which only added to the drama. I do agree that going to Cabo wasn't the wisest move Romo could've made because he provided his critics with more ammunition if the Cowboys lose to the Giants. But again, it's not something he's concerned about.
"I don't care about perception," he told reporters Wednesday. "The perception of me doesn't affect me at all. When I say that, I understand that people like to believe everything they read and everything they hear, but I'm comfortable in my own skin and comfortable with with who I am as a person and what I've tried to do to get to this point."
Romo is amused by how many people seem so invested in his personal life. That an NFL legend he barely knows would sound so concerned is comical to him.
"No way that I would ever, ever do what Tony did," Bradshaw continued. "I mean, I can have my picture taken with movie stars when the season is over."
Here's what Jerry Jones had to say on the topic yesterday:
"I have no concern about Tony's social life and about his relationships. I've had a lot of players in 19 years that I've had concerns in those areas about, so I'm not a novice. I don't have any. There's not one concern about his relationship and about how he relaxes and what he does with his time."
