BREAKING NEWS

TONY ROMO OUT 10 WEEKS WITH BROKEN BACK.

Tony Romo has fractured vertebra in back, may miss 6-10 weeks

http://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/17404354/tony-romo-dallas-cowboys-broken-bone-back

FRISCO, Texas -- Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo has suffered a broken bone in his back, and a source confirmed to ESPN on Saturday that he could miss six to 10 weeks.

The source told ESPN that the injury -- suffered on the third play of the preseason game against the Seattle Seahawks on Thursday -- is a compression fracture of L1 vertebra. A source also told ESPN NFL Insider Ed Werder that Romo would not require surgery.

Coach Jason Garrett, who announced the injury on a conference call Saturday, said it would not cost Romo the season and he declined to rule out the quarterback for the regular-season opener against the New York Giants on Sept. 11.

"We don't believe that to be the case at all," Garrett said when asked if Romo's season was in jeopardy.

CBS Sports first reported that Romo would miss up to 10 weeks.

Romo first learned of the results Friday night. If he cannot play Week 1, rookie fourth-round pick Dak Prescott will start against the Giants.

Garrett said the injury is not related to the surgeries Romo had in 2013. The coach would not say if it is the transverse process fractures Romo suffered in 2014 that forced him to miss a game.

"Again it's not related to the other back issues that he's had (and is) very specific to the hit he took the other night at the game," Garrett said. "And he came out and he was lobbying to go back in. We decided to not have him go back in, and then he actually felt fine after the game. Then he woke up on Friday morning and didn't feel so good and (the back) stiffened up on him, and that's when we did the MRI. And that's what we found."

Romo was hit from behind by Seahawks defensive end Cliff Avril while scrambling up field Thursday. Romo immediately reached for his lower back but was able to walk off the field under his own power. He lobbied to return to the game, but Garrett went with Prescott.

Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones said he spoke with Romo many times over the last two days.

"He's driven for this not to be like last year," Jones said. "He's certainly not deterred and he really feels like it's going to be different, but he can get through this, and he also feels very confident that our team can win football games without him while he's not here. He's driven to help Dak win football games for us so that when he gets back that we have a great chance to have a great season, get in the tournament and contend for a championship. Nothing's changed."

This could be the fourth straight year that Romo misses at least one game. He missed the 2013 season finale after undergoing a discectomy. He missed one game in 2014 with two transverse process fractures in his back and was out 12 games last year with a twice-broken left collarbone.

A source close to Romo told Werder that the quarterback isn't considering retirement and there is no doubt that he'll play this season.

ESPN's Ed Werder contributed to this report.

Maybe time to call it quits

Tony Romo

- Famous for Ribs (broken)
- Fanous for Backs (broken)
- Famous for Dreams (broken)

Time to hang it up, Cowboy!

Romo will join such legendary Cowboy QBs as Craig Morton and Danny White. Really good QBs who couldn't get it done.

Hate when it happened to a white guy.

I thought I read he didnt even go for xrays. Said he was feelin better than ever,

I don't like the Cowboys, but I do like Romo despite his choking and season-ending injuries. He's probably done, but he seems like a decent enough guy.

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Isnt this his second broken back/neck? Stick a fork in him.

That's OK. I'm still tapping this.

Big D Wrote:
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> Hate when it happened to a white guy.


think hes italian actually.

Romo will join such legendary Cowboy QBs as Craig Morton and Danny White. Really good QBs who couldn't get it done.


You forgot me!!!!