Tony Romo is about as guarded as they come during interviews. Times that by 100 when it comes to talking about his personal life.
But the Dallas Cowboys quarterback opened up a little bit for a recent interview with Sports Illustrated's S.L. Price.
One of the many topics they discussed is how Romo, 33, has changed since becoming the team's starting quarterback when he was 26.
"When you're young and things are there for you, it's different," Romo said. "You say yes to everybody because you want to be a nice person. Eventually you learn that you don't have to. You can map out how you'd like things to go, make the choices that are best for your family and for the team. It makes it easier."
If you don't care about Romo's personal life, you can stop reading now.
Romo also let his guard down to discuss how he met his wife, Candice Crawford, in the summer of 2007. While Crawford, a Missouri journalism student, was working as an intern for the Cowboys, Romo invited her to join a group of friends to see a movie. He later called and said: "Actually everyone bailed. It's just you and me. I'm on my way…."
Romo called Candice into the room while he was being interviewed by Price and asked her what she remembers from their first date.
"Hey, Bubbles! How did we meet? See if she gets this right," Romo said.
When Candice said they really didn't start dating for two years, Romo replied: "She was too young. I wasn't going to date a college girl. We stayed in contact a bit, texted every few months. Scott probably won't like that … the guy she was dating then."
Now that they've been married for over a year and a half, Price asked if Candice's sense of what a player's life entails is different from what she imagined growing up as a Cowboys fan?
"I think what we miss is that [players] are human," she said. "Fans in Dallas, they view the players more like politicians, like they own them. You forget that they're a husband, a dad … I just feel like people forget. They [think] the players are a commodity."
Romo had a different opinion.
"See, I don't think so," Romo said. "I think people just like rooting. If they like you, they're going to want to root for you and you're one of theirs. And if they don't like you? It doesn't matter."
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