Tony Romo has survived everything from being undrafted to broken collar bones to inferior teammates on his way to becoming the most prolific passer in the history of the Cowboys.
Now we can add being sacked by an 800-pound gorilla.
Doggedly determined to make his fantasy a reality, Romo’s National Fantasy Football Convention is alive and well despite the bullying tactics by the greedy NFL.
After an audible – forced by the NFL winning a decision in court that forced the convention to move out of Las Vegas – Romo’s NFFC will now be held July 15-17th in Pasadena, California.
Hosted by Romo and ESPN Fantasy Football guru Matthew Berry, the inaugural NFFC will feature over 100 NFL players including Cowboys Dez Bryant and Jason Witten and will be one of the largest interactive events in pro football history.
The three-day expo – held at the Pasadena Convention Center – is expected to feature stars such as Devonta Freeman, Todd Gurley, Randall Cobb, Jordan Reed, Alex Smith and Julio Jones.
Six fans will win a spot in a Fantasy Football league alongside six NFL players, with the draft held live on stage.
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Attendees can also catch passes from Romo, throw passes to Witten and Bryant, play in EA Sports video game tournaments and attend numerous Fantasy Football seminars and roundtables to get them ready for their upcoming drafts.
For Romo and his teammates, the NFFC will serve as a last slice of fun before training camp begins July 28 up the California coast in Oxnard.
The event, like Romo’s career, has endured some turbulent twists.
Originally scheduled to be held in Las Vegas at a convention center unattached to a casino, the NFFC had to be re-routed because the NFL stepped in and asserted that players attending would violate the league’s anti-gambling policy.
“It’s like when you’re in high school and you don’t get invited to the party, it makes you feel bad,” Romo said last June on ESPN Radio after the NFL’s disruption. “If they really wanted to just be a part of it, all they had to do was just call and ask. It would’ve been a lot easier, I think, than going about the process the way they did. We understand that these things come about and there’s big money involved sometimes from the NFL’s perspective. If we had known about the issue of the place or thought that was something that could’ve been an issue, the NFL could’ve told us that right away. That’s where it makes it interesting.”
The NFFC sued the NFL in attempt to let the show go on as planned, but in March a judge ruled in favor of the league. Re-routed but undaunted, Romo and his NFFC has endured a hit, scrambled, and will now finally make an impressive completion.
A native Texan who was born in Duncanville and graduated from UT-Arlington, Richie Whitt has been a mainstay in the Metroplex media since 1986. He’s held prominent roles on all media platforms including newspaper (Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Dallas Observer), radio (105.3 The Fan) and TV (co-host on TXA 21 and numerous guest appearances, including NBC 5). He lives in McKinney with his wife, Sybil, and two very spoiled dogs.
