Most people still see Tony Romo as the guy in the #9 jersey holding his breath during a field goal snap or, more recently, the "psychic" voice in the CBS broadcasting booth. But if you actually bump into him in Dallas these days, he’s probably just a tired dad trying to convince three energetic boys that romance scenes in movies aren't "yucky."
It’s been a minute since he retired in 2017. Since then, the Romo household has turned into a high-octane mix of sports, business ventures, and a very specific rule about tackle football.
The "Basketball Team" in the Making
Tony and his wife, Candice Crawford Romo, have three sons: Hawkins, Rivers, and Jones. When the youngest, Jones McCoy, was born in 2017, Tony famously joked on Twitter that he almost had his "basketball team built."
Fast forward to 2026, and that team is basically a full-time job.
Hawkins, the oldest, is now 13. He’s officially entered those teenage years where having a famous NFL dad is probably a mix of "cool" and "stop embarrassing me." Rivers is 11, and Jones is 8. If you follow Candice on social media, you’ve seen the chaos. It’s a lot of living room wrestling, sword fights, and—unsurprisingly—golf.
Actually, Tony has been pretty vocal about the golf thing. He once mentioned that Rivers, even as a toddler, had a swing that might outpace his own. Given that Tony is basically a scratch golfer who flirts with the PGA Tour every now and then, that’s a terrifying thought for any local junior tournament director.
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The Controversy Over the Gridiron
Here’s the thing that catches people off guard: Tony Romo isn't rushing his kids into helmets.
You’d think the former star quarterback of the Dallas Cowboys would have his boys in pads as soon as they could walk. Nope. Tony has been incredibly firm about a "No Tackle" rule until the 8th grade.
"I don't think I'll ever discourage them from doing anything... but they won't play tackle football until eighth grade. That's the first time I'll let them," Romo told Dr. Phil a few years back.
He’s not necessarily "afraid" of injuries—he’s a guy who played through a broken back and punctured lungs, after all. His logic is more about the "craft." He argues that football isn't like tennis or golf where you need thousands of hours of repetitive physical mechanics at age six to be elite. To him, unless you’re a quarterback, football is about being a great athlete first. He’d rather them play basketball, soccer, or golf to build those fast-twitch muscles without the sub-concussive hits early on.
Candice: More Than Just a "Wife of"
Candice Crawford isn't just "the sister of Gossip Girl’s Chace Crawford" or a former Miss Missouri. Honestly, she’s the one keeping the gears turning. While her journalism career took a backseat to raise the boys, she didn't just sit around.
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She co-founded Hawk + Sloane, a company that makes essential oil sprays for parents. It’s named after her son Hawkins and her business partner’s son. They make stuff like "Sleepy Head" and "Scary Spray" (to keep the monsters away). It’s a very "Dallas mom" business, but it’s been genuinely successful.
The two met when she was a 22-year-old intern at a local TV station covering the Cowboys. Imagine that: you’re an intern, and the star QB asks you out. Her parents were massive Cowboys fans, so that probably made the first "meet the parents" dinner a lot easier. Or way more stressful.
The "Antonio" Roots
One detail people often miss is the heritage. Tony’s full name is Antonio Ramiro Romo. His grandfather, Ramiro Romo Sr., emigrated from Mexico to Texas as a teenager.
Tony grew up in Burlington, Wisconsin, but the family remains tight-knit. His parents, Ramiro Jr. and Joan, are still huge influences. He often credits his "Navy brat" upbringing and his father’s work ethic for how he handled the pressure in Dallas.
It’s kind of wild to think about. A kid from a small town in Wisconsin, with Mexican and Polish-German roots, becomes the face of "America's Team."
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Life in the "Quiet" Lane
Today, the family lives a relatively "normal" life in the Preston Hollow neighborhood of Dallas. Well, as normal as you can get when your house has its own indoor basketball court.
Tony’s transition to the booth was legendary because of his "Romo-stradamus" predictions, but friends say he’s actually more relaxed now than he ever was as a player. He’s not watching film until 2 AM anymore. He’s reading bedtime stories and probably losing at Mario Kart to an 8-year-old.
What We Can Learn from the Romo Approach
If you’re looking at how they manage the spotlight, a few things stand out:
- Delaying Specialization: Don’t feel pressured to put a kid in tackle football (or any high-impact sport) too early. Focus on "movement" and "fun" first.
- Identity Beyond the Job: Both Tony and Candice have pivoted into second acts (broadcasting/entrepreneurship) that don't rely on his playing days.
- Family Rituals: They’ve been big on "unplugged" time, especially during the NFL off-season, which Tony treats as sacred.
If you want to follow the family's journey more closely, Candice is the one to watch on Instagram (@candiceromo). She’s way better at the "lifestyle" content than Tony, who mostly just posts about golf or the occasional CBS promo.
The big takeaway? Even if you're a multimillionaire celebrity, you’re still going to end up in a "yuck, romance!" argument during movie night eventually.
Actionable Insight: If you're a parent of young athletes, consider Romo’s "8th-grade rule." Focus on multi-sport athleticism (soccer for footwork, basketball for hand-eye) before committing to the physical toll of tackle football. It keeps the burnout low and the "fun" factor high.