Tony Romo Shares an Interesting Story About Why He Chose Not to Play as Himself in Madden

When the Dallas Cowboys signed rookie quarterback Tony Romo in free agency back in 2003, no one could’ve predicted the impact he would go on to have on the league. A 4-time Pro Bowler and 2-time All-Pro, Romo now enjoys his retirement years as an analyst for CBS Sports.

During a recent interaction with Jimmy Kimmel on his show ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’, Romo was asked about his Madden addiction while trying to prepare for his role as an analyst and why he would not pick himself to play the game.

Hooked to Madden

While preparing for his role off the field, Romo took to Madden to pick up on the in-game commentary used for the play-by-play action.

The suggestion to pick up Madden was made by Sal Iacono, a writer for

‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’ when he and Kimmel had gone to Romo’s house for his retirement party.

Romo would go on to play Madden for 4 hours straight and even took on some of the top players around the world, including one in the Top-100.

“Well, you know, it’s online, so there’s a lot of competition involved. I wish I could have really been more receptive to you and Sal being next to me,” Romo said.

Picking Big Ben over himself

Kimmel further inquired as to why Romo had decided to give his in-game avatar the snub for Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. Romo simply said that he wanted to win and for that to happen he had to pick Ben over himself on the game.

“At the end of the day. It’s about winning. It’s about winning. That’s what it’s all about. And I decided I’m gonna try and win. I got to get rid of Tony Romo in this game,” said the 4-time Pro Bowler.

The former Dallas Cowboys man has enjoyed a successful career as an analyst so far for his uncanny ability to call plays before they happen from the booth. A skill he has honed during his 14-year playing career.