Even with Tony Romo out of the building, Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott maintains he had a strong relationship with the departed franchise legend.
"I mean, Tony did an amazing job of helping me out. I think that's what Tony realized is that, he couldn't necessarily control whether he was going to play or not. But what he can control is our relationship," Prescott said Wednesday on The Rich Eisen Show.
"And I think Tony did a great job, and I commend Tony and thank him so much for that -- of being another coach for me, of helping me out, of in the middle of the game, at practice, on the field and] off the field, giving me advice. And as a guy who went through exactly what I went through -- taking over the position from an older veteran, and knowing what it's like to be the quarterback of the [Dallas Cowboys, and just helping me out."
Prescott said Romo never made their relationship awkward.
"It truly never did [get uncomfortable]. And that's why I say I commend him," Prescott said. "I don't know how he felt personally. I mean, obviously I know as much of a competitor he is, that he wanted to play. That as much success that he had in this league, that he probably felt that he should play. But it never [got uncomfortable]. And as I said, he always was so helpful to me. And I felt it was genuine, and I commend him for that."
We likely will never know the extent of the franchise's internal drama during last season's incredible run. Romo's concession speech and subsequent career change helped paint the sunny narrative Prescott continues to relay. However, as NFL Network's Jane Slater reported in the midst of Romo's decision making process, there certainly was some resentment and unhappiness.
"Just shows you the scope of where his head is at," Slater wrote at the time in a follow-up. "He feels his team was taken from him. Struggling to grasp that as anyone would."
If Romo kept these personal feelings away from the team during their sprint to an NFC East title, I'd be inclined to give him even more credit. At the least, both deserve a hand for not letting a potentially volatile situation spill out into the public eye to the point where Romo's personal feelings became a distraction.