OFF-THE-HOOK JESSICA SACKS QB ROMO

Often portrayed as an egocentric horndog jock, TONY ROMO showed his sympathetic side with that condolence call I told you about to devastated ex-squeeze JESSICA SIMPSON after Wily Coyote snack-attacked her teeny malti-poo pooch Daisy, but now the NFL stud fervently wishes he’d kept his cell phone in his pants – because Jess jes’ won’t leave him alone!

Giggled an insider: “Tony’s call opened the floodgates, and Jess has gotten downright scary since, phoning him all the time and leaving messages.  When she can’t reach him, she calls teammates to ask where he is, and Tony’s very embarrassed. He’s getting ribbed in the locker room by all the guys, who ask tongue-in-cheek: ‘You’re not gonna return that poor girl’s calls?’”

Tony played it smart back when he made a clean break with Jess, but made like a dumb jock during the sympathy call when his ex asked innocently if she “could call him sometime.”

Said Tony: “Yes, of course.” (That’s a quarterback sack, sports fans…!)

One Jessica pal insists the singer’s not exactly trying to reignite her old flame (say WHAT?), “but simply took Tony at his word when he said he was there for her. When Jessica’s distressed emotionally, she relies on her loved ones, and she still considers Tony that.”

NOTE TO TONY: Time for a quarterback sneak, pal, as in…LEAVE THE COUNTRY NOW!