Dallas Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones said quarterback Tony Romo's trip to Las Vegas last Friday isn't a big deal and that "a break is good."
Romo and wide receiver Miles Austin visited Las Vegas on Friday for a private function and were photographed at a nightclub inside a casino.
Both players were back in Dallas on Saturday morning so Romo wouldn't miss a previously scheduled treatment session on his sore back at Valley Ranch.
The release of the photos has brought scrutiny because Romo's past visit to Cabo San Lucas in 2007 during a first-round playoff bye. The Cowboys eventually lost the following week in the NFC divisional round to the New York Giants.
"I don't want to be naive, and I recognize that Las Vegas has a certain connotation," Jones said Tuesday on his weekly radio show. "I too don't want to be jumping on that either. They need all the pep-up they can get out there in Las Vegas, and that's where many of us go and it's a respite. But I think we all understand how we would point to that and think, 'Well, OK, Las Vegas.'
"That's not like going to Los Angeles or not like going to Chicago or New York. But, still, I think the fact he made that quick turnaround ... I think we all see the point."
Jones said Romo understands the criticism he's under and is very cautious where he goes, but there's nothing wrong with taking some time off.
"I know he understands that," Jones said. "We all understand what's happening here. ... I think it says it all that he has to be back every morning and he has to come back to the training room because he does have a back he's treating, so that's a requirement.
"So any of these guys can't get too far away because they have to be there bright and early. I'm talking about seven or eight in the morning out there or earlier on a practice day to get treatments. And he was there sharp and on time. But that gave him a little break away from it."