Caron Butler: Tony Romo could've been a professional basketball player
Tony Romo will be in uniform for the Dallas Mavericks on Monday night as he is honored as a "Maverick for the Day." Caron Butler has seen Romo play basketball and believes the former Dallas Mavericks quarterback could've made a career out of it, he told ESPN.com.
"Believe it or not, man, when we were in the prime of our careers, I used to always talk about it: [Romo] could have easily been a professional basketball player," Butler said. "And a lot of people were like, 'Man, you're crazy for saying that,' but Tony could shoot. He could handle the ball. He had a knack for scoring, man, he really did."
""He was a really good football player, obviously, being a quarterback," he added. "He was great at golf. And he was really good at basketball. Obviously it worked out for him with the football, but I wouldn't have been surprised if he would have made it playing basketball. He had a great feel for the game, man. And it's not surprising."
Romo is taking a break from football as he joined CBS as the network's top analyst for Sunday afternoon and Thursday night games.
Romo last played basketball as a high schooler in Wisconsin, where he averaged 24 points, 8.8 rebounds and 4.4 assists for Burlington High School. Romo and Butler were named to the All-Racine County boys basketball team in 1998, according to ESPN.
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Romo, who turns 37 this month, injured his back last preseason and ended up losing his starting job to rookie Dak Prescott. Prescott went on to throw for 3,667 yards and 23 touchdowns, leading the Cowboys to the NFC East title and winning the Associated Press NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year award. The injury left his status with the team in doubt and spurred Romo to evaluate his options.
