DALLAS — The Dallas Mavericks are brightening the day of a special fan on Tuesday as part of the Make-A-Wish program.
North Dallas resident Tony Romo, who has been deployed since 2003 with America’s Team, a local unit of weekend warriors, suffered several injuries during his duty, including a broken back, a broken pinkie finger and two broken collarbones.
The Mavericks will honor Romo, 36, by letting him suit up in uniform with the team for the game against the Denver Nuggets, sitting on the bench with some of his heroes.
“We feel fortunate to be in a position to be able to make dreams come true for some of our unheralded heroes in the Dallas area,” Mavericks owner Mark Cuban said in a statement. “Everyday Tonys like this have no idea what it’s like to be in the spotlight like Dirk Nowitzki feels all the time. It’ll probably be the biggest thrill of his lifetime to suit up in front of thousands of fans as we play out the string of another disappointing season.”
Romo, who recently left his job for health reasons, said he found another part-time job but will take a pay cut in doing so.
“I’ve never been a professional athlete in front of 20,000 fans, so that will be something different for me,” Romo said. “And you never know, if the team needs me in the fourth quarter, I think I have a proven track record of heroics when the pressure is on.”
