FRISCO, Texas – Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo addressed the media Tuesday for the first time since he was cleared to return from a pre-season back injury.
Romo had a written statement prepared that touched on several topics, including his career and the play of Dak Prescott, who has led the Cowboys to an 8-1 record this season.
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Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said after last week’s win over Pittsburgh, Prescott would be the starter for the for-seeable future with Romo as the backup.
Romo said in part:
To say the first half of the season have been emotional would be a huge understatement for me, getting hurt when you feel like you have the best team you've ever had is a soul-crushing moment for me.
Then to learn it's not three or four weeks but 10 is another blow. And through it all, you have a tremendous amount of guilt in having let your teammates, fans and organizations down. But then here you are, sidelined, without any real ability to help your teammates win on the field. That's when you're forced to come face-to-face with what's happening. Seasons are fleeting, games become more precious, chances for success diminish. Your potential successor has arrived.
Football is a meritocracy. You aren't handed anything. You earn everything. You have to prove it, that’s the way 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.
Romo is the Cowboys all-time leader in passing yards and touchdowns and seventh in games played.
He had been the Cowboys full-time starter since the 2006 regular season.