Football
Dallas Cowboy's Quarterback Tony Romo and the Curse of Jessica Simpson

Jan 16, 2008

Jessica Simpson and Tony Romo

Pop song princess Jessica Simpson is turning out to be for the Dallas Cowboys, what Yoko Ono was for the Beatles—a complete distraction. Over the weekend, the Cowboys lost their Super Bowl hopes when the New York Giants defeated them 21-17. Fans are blaming Simpson for the loss, again, after she and her boyfriend Quarterback Tony Romo escaped to Cabo San Lucas the week before the game.  

The first time Jessica showed up to support her new boyfriend, Romo played the worst game of the season, and fans blamed the leggy blonde for distracting their star. On Dec. 16 in a game against Philadelphia, Simpson proudly appeared on television cameras showing her support for her new man. In that game, Romo injured his throwing thumb and made an onslaught of errors and turnovers.  

Fans joked about a “Simpson Curse” and even teammate Terrell Owens humorously asked her to stay away for the rest of the season. "Right now, Jessica Simpson is not a fan favorite—in this locker room or in Texas Stadium," he told reporters after the loss to Philadelphia.  

Although Dallas had twice bested the Giants this season, Simpson opted not to attend this pivotal game just incase the “Simpson Curse” had some merit and to avoid any negative repercussions.  

After a late fourth quarter interception, the Cowboy’s hopes were lost and another disappointing season came to an end.  

Pictures of the couple at the resort hot spot the week prior to the game prompted fans to question Romo’s dedication to the team and his determination to make another trip to the NFC title game.  

This time Owens defended Romo to the Associated Press saying, “You guys can point the finger at him [Romo]. You can talk about the vacation, but if you do that it's really unfair. It's really unfair. He's my teammate. He's my quarterback. If you guys do that, it's unfair. We lost as a team. We lost as a team, man."  

Romo himself defended his actions to the media after the loss saying, "When I made the choice to those things I thought I was making good decisions like not going to Vegas and drinking for two or three days."  

Earlier in the season Romo had been romantically linked to American Idol winner and country music phenom Carrie Underwood, a rumor that Underwood emphatically denies.  

In Women’s Health Magazine Underwood explained, “He was not my boyfriend and we were never dating. The more I screamed ‘We’re not dating!’ the more headlines claimed that we were a couple or that I was crying because he was out with another girl. We’re really good friends, we hang out a lot, and we’re close"  

After there seemingly budding romance started to fade, Underwood explained to Entertainment Weekly, “he is about football. I don't know if it's that I'm not quite his type or whatever, but I don't think he's at the point in his life where he would be willing to sacrifice football. He hated so much that people thought that he was paying more attention to me and that was causing him to not do well."  

Although Simpson was not in attendance, the New York Post hired 21-year-old Jessica look-a-like Lynsey Nordstrom to attend the game in order to cause a stir and hopefully earn New York the victory.  

Nordstrom was placed third row on the 50-yard line behind Dallas’ bench, and the dead ringer drew more than a few fans to take a closer look. Even gossip hound Perez Hilton fell for the trick and posted pictures of the would be Jessica on his blog. Nordstrom explained to the Star Ledger that the trashy mag had paid her $500 for the first hour and $250 each additional hour just to attend the game. She told the Post, “ So many people were like, 'I really thought you were her!'"  

When asked about the “Simpson Curse” and it’s effects on the game, Pete Blackshaw, executive vice president of Nielsen Online Strategic Services and project manager for Nielsen's 2008 Super Bowl monitoring program, explained, "A common trend we see after a big loss is what we call 'Monday Morning Chatterbacking' in which online fans look for culprits or scapegoats. Fair or unfair, there is always a great deal of finger-pointing, and the Romo/Simpson relationship is certainly top of mind with fans.”  

On MarketWire.com Blackshaw added, "Virtually every aspect of this relationship has been analyzed, dissected, debated, and critiqued by highly engaged football fans. Even Cabo San Lucas as a 'strength-gathering' vacation spot has been vigorously picked apart!"  

Weather that was the reason for the loss is certain to remain a secret, but Dallas fans will no doubt be hoping that the songstress stays at bay next season just in case.