Super Bowl Road Trip: Q&A with Miles Austin of the Dallas Cowboys
By Jason McIntyre
Q: Do people tell you that you look like A-Rod?
A: I get that often. It’s fine with me. I met him a couple times. We never talked about it or anything, though.
Q: Have you had people tell you that you saved their fantasy football season?
A: A lot of people tell me that. But I haven’t gotten one dollar from an owner! Everyone says how much I helped them, and they won, and I’m like, ‘can I get 5 percent? 10 percent?’ I haven’t seen one dollar yet. [He only made $1.5 million this year, help the guy out!]
Q: What’s up with your first down celebration?
A: Nothing, really, I just started doing it this year. Actually, last year. I’m up for suggestions if anyone has any.
Q: Who do you hang with on the team?
A: Kevin Ogletree, he’s a rookie, a New York guy. He’s a cool cat. And Sam Hurd, and Romo, and, well, most of the guys on the team. TO when he was here …
Q: Much has been made about how the Cowboys’ locker room “improved” after Terrell Owens left, and how the team was more loose because after plays nobody was bitching about not getting passes thrown their way.
A: It’s obviously a different locker room [without Owens], but there wasn’t that much of a change. I don’t want to say anything was wrong with someone doing that … I don’t do that, and [Jason Witten] and [Hurd] and [Crayton] don’t … and maybe that has something to do with it, but maybe it doesn’t. Maybe if he was on this team, maybe he would kind of change his tune. Who knows.
Q: It seems like athletes getting in trouble with the law for whatever reason seems to be a weekly occurrence in sports. Why?
A: It is a combination of a bunch of things. On one end, you really shouldn’t put yourself in bad situations. And sometimes, people are looking to get you in trouble – there’s a target on your back. You need to figure out where you need to be, and where you don’t need to be.
Q: You ever feel like there’s a target on your back?
A: Anytime you’re an athlete doing something, there’s target on your back … I usually don’t go to a place where I’d feel like that. In Dallas, I’m going to go places that are familiar to me. Same in Jersey and New York. I’m not going to go to a hood spot where everyone is staring at me when I walk in.
Q: What’s your take on athletes carrying guns?
A: I wouldn’t have one in my car. But I have one in my house. I don’t ever take it out or anything, it’s in a safe. The thing about having a gun – would you be willing to pull the trigger on somebody? It’s crazy just thinking about it.
Q: Lastly, Tony Romo. He’s a ladies man. What’s it like rolling out with Romo?
A: He’s a ladies man? No he’s not. [Serious pause. Laughter.] If you go out with him, it’s crazy. People will swarm. I don’t want to say it’s like hanging out with Madonna, but … it’s crazy. At first people try to be calm, but after about half an hour, they’ll swarm. Usually when I’m out with him there are a few other people around and they’ll keep people away.