FORT WORTH, Texas — Now we know for certain how the Dallas Cowboys feel about Tony Romo.
First, they didn’t give him a retirement press conference when he walked away in 2017. That was essentially handled by the Dallas Mavericks, and a CBS Sports teleconference.
Now his No. 9 is available, too.
Tony may not have won a Super Bowl, or advanced to an NFC title game, but he always deserved a sendoff like the one handed to his friend, Jason Witten.
When the NFL announced that it was no longer adhering to the traditional number-by-positions policy, players began lining up to wear their previous numbers in college or high school.
This fashion change potentially permits a running back to wear a No. 83, or a linebacker to switch from the 50s to the teens.
This allows linebacker Jaylon Smith, who wore No. 54 for the Dallas Cowboys, to switch to the number he enjoyed at Notre Dame, No. 9.
This is happening.
As Tom Landry once yelled at Danny White, “No, Danny, no!” so too should Jerry Jones scream at his linebacker, “No, Jaylon, no!”
Money can buy near everything, but it should not be able to buy No. 9 of the Dallas Cowboys.
Or at least the Cowboys should have lined up No. 9 with someone other than Jaylon Smith.
Tony’s No. 9 is not Roger Staubach’s 12, Troy Aikman’s 8, Emmitt Smith’s 22 or Tony Dorsett’s 33. But it feels wrong to see Jaylon Smith to wear No. 9. Because it is wrong.
The Cowboys are going to hand No. 9 to a player who clings to a roster spot made more tenuous by the first-round selection of linebacker Micah Parsons.
Parsons is scheduled to wear No. 11, previously made famous by ... quarterback Danny White.
As long time Dallas Cowboys director of public relations Rich Dalrymple explained to me last year, “For the record, the Cowboys are one of the few — if only — NFL teams that have never officially retired a jersey number.”
This was part of a detailed explanation how the Cowboys handle No. 88, which became famous when it was worn by Drew Pearson, and has been “handed down” to Michael Irvin, Dez Bryant and, now, CeeDee Lamb.
(I’m still trying to forget that it was also once worn by Antonio Bryant.)
Romo will likely be inducted into the Cowboys’ Ring of Honor here soon, and holds nearly every major passing record in the history of the franchise.
While he was paid a small fortune, and often treated like family by the Joneses, how Romo was treated on his way out at The Star is forever peculiar.
“We love you. You’re the best, but ....”
About the only thing of note the team did for Romo after he retired was to show a nice, career-encapsulating video on the JerryVision at AT&T Stadium before the Cowboys-Kansas City Chiefs game in November of 2017.
It was Romo’s first chance to call a Cowboys’ home game in the CBS booth. The video was narrated by Jason Witten, and Romo received a nice ovation from the Cowboys fans.
That’s it.
And now the jersey number he wore and made famous during his decade-long run as the starting quarterback of the Dallas Cowboys is available for anybody.
No. 9 for the Cowboys is not No. 12 or No. 8, but it should be protected from Jaylon Smith wearing it.
