ESPN - Mosley: Cowboys release Rivera
June 7, 2007 6:00 PM
Cowboys right guard Marco Rivera called a few minutes ago to say he'd been released. Rivera, a former sixth-round draft pick who went to three consecutive Pro Bowls with the Packers, said he'll continue to rehabilitate his injured back and remains hopeful he can play somewhere next season.
"It's tough to take, but I completely understand," said Rivera, who's coming off his second back surgery in three years. "With the personnel this team has, it would be a travesty if they didn't win 12 games. With [Tony] Romo coming on and that offensive line, they're not going to miss me."
Rivera, who signed a five-year, $20 million contract with the Cowboys in 2005, will cost $1.2 million against the club's 2007 salary cap. He may play down his role on the team, but he became a sounding board for the team's young offensive linemen, tight end Jason Witten and Romo. When he injured his back during a freak accident on a treadmill machine shortly after signing with the Cowboys, he contacted a team official and offered to give back a portion of his signing bonus.
That's why it wasn't surprising to hear him take such an upbeat approach to being released.
"I just want to get healthy and then root for the Cowboys," he said. "I really bonded with this team and I got excited about the new stadium and the Super Bowl coming here. I want to try to get back to 100 percent, and then decide if I still want to play."
Rivera said he felt something pop in his back early in the Cowboys' wild-card playoff loss to the Seahawks. He wasn't even able to sit down on the bench he was in so much pain, but he never missed a down. When the team arrived back in Dallas, Rivera was taken directly to the hospital.
On Thursday afternoon, he thought back to when the Packers released veteran Frank Winters several years ago.
"We were like, 'They can't do that,'" he recalled. "But it happens and guys get over it."
If Rivera doesn't play again, the league has lost one of its classiest players.
Cowboys right guard Marco Rivera called a few minutes ago to say he'd been released. Rivera, a former sixth-round draft pick who went to three consecutive Pro Bowls with the Packers, said he'll continue to rehabilitate his injured back and remains hopeful he can play somewhere next season.
"It's tough to take, but I completely understand," said Rivera, who's coming off his second back surgery in three years. "With the personnel this team has, it would be a travesty if they didn't win 12 games. With [Tony] Romo coming on and that offensive line, they're not going to miss me."
Rivera, who signed a five-year, $20 million contract with the Cowboys in 2005, will cost $1.2 million against the club's 2007 salary cap. He may play down his role on the team, but he became a sounding board for the team's young offensive linemen, tight end Jason Witten and Romo. When he injured his back during a freak accident on a treadmill machine shortly after signing with the Cowboys, he contacted a team official and offered to give back a portion of his signing bonus.
That's why it wasn't surprising to hear him take such an upbeat approach to being released.
"I just want to get healthy and then root for the Cowboys," he said. "I really bonded with this team and I got excited about the new stadium and the Super Bowl coming here. I want to try to get back to 100 percent, and then decide if I still want to play."
Rivera said he felt something pop in his back early in the Cowboys' wild-card playoff loss to the Seahawks. He wasn't even able to sit down on the bench he was in so much pain, but he never missed a down. When the team arrived back in Dallas, Rivera was taken directly to the hospital.
On Thursday afternoon, he thought back to when the Packers released veteran Frank Winters several years ago.
"We were like, 'They can't do that,'" he recalled. "But it happens and guys get over it."
If Rivera doesn't play again, the league has lost one of its classiest players.
posted by The Gryphon at 8:36 PM
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