Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban may have approached NBA commissioner Adam Silver about offering Tony Romo a contract, but it was never his intention to play the former Cowboys quarterback during the team’s matchup against the Denver Nuggets.
Mark Cuban never really intended to let Tony Romo actually play for the Mavericks
But it would have been fun to see him chase some 20-year-olds around the court.
Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images
“I made it clear to everybody, I wanted everyone to think he was going to play,” Cuban said on Tuesday. “Everyone to think he was going to be on the bench, everyone thinking he could go in, because I knew a lot of people would (fall for it).”
The Mavericks invited Romo, who recently retired from the NFL, to spend an entire day with the team. Cuban approached Silver about offering the quarterback-turned-broadcaster a 10-day contract, which would have made him eligible to play in Tuesday’s game. The commissioner replied that Romo’s contract would not be honored.
Even if Silver had approved the idea, there was a set of circumstances Cuban put forth that would have allowed for Romo to enter the game.
“That would have to be us up or down by a lot, and have him dribbling out the clock,” he said.
The Mavericks indeed found themselves down double digits with just over two minutes left in the fourth quarter, and head coach Rick Carlisle nearly checked Romo into the game. But Cuban came over and dragged the former Pro Bowl QB back to the bench.
The quarterback’s career had been cut short due to recurring injuries. The Mavericks’ owner didn’t want another one to happen, especially not on his watch.
“I didn’t want to risk it,” Cuban told ESPN after the game. “He’s gonna be an announcer. He could get hurt. That could ruin the rest of his career.”
Instead, Dallas had Romo dress in a customized No. 9 Mavericks jersey, the same number he wore with the Cowboys. Romo participated in a morning shootaround, pre-game warm-ups, a team picture, and even pregame introductions.
He sat on the bench alongside Dallas’ reserves. His number was hung from the rafters as fans applauded him for his years of commitment to the city and its football team.
”It’s a huge honor just to see that they want to do something to say thank you for your career, what you did for the city ... and the way that I’ve supported them,” said Romo, according to NBA.com. “I don’t feel like I deserve anything like this.”
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