Romo defends Jerry Jones: 'He was really in my corner'

Before Tuesday's announcements, many believed Jerry Jones was the one keeping Tony Romo from moving on.

According to the former Dallas Cowboys quarterback, that couldn't be further from the truth.

In his first press conference as a CBS employee, Romo defended Jones for sticking by him until the veteran was ready to make a decision.

"Jerry was amazing," said Romo, according to Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle. "I know sometimes it didn't look like that from the outside."

Romo was reportedly set to be released on the first day of free agency, but after teams like the Houston Texans showed they had definite interest, it was reported the Cowboys were looking to trade the quarterback.

This appeared to be Jones holding Romo for trade ransom as long as he could, but that clearly was not the case, given the veteran's Tuesday retirement.

"He really was in my corner," said Romo. "The things he said about doing me right, he really did."

Jones and the Cowboys did one last favor for Romo when they let him go, as they released him instead of placing him on reserve/retired list. If he had filed for retirement as a member of the team, Romo would have had to pay back the $5-million roster bonus he was awarded in March.