The San Francisco 49ers cheerleader Jonathan Romero has announced his retirement from the NFL.
In announcing his retirement, Romero, a member of the 49ers’ Gold Rush squad, expressed a ton of appreciation to the people who have supported him.
“Gold Rush, thank you for two amazing seasons,” he told Outsports and wrote on Instagram.
“I have decided to hang up the poms as I continue to pursue my educational and professional endeavors in my full-time career in which I hope to carry and share the Gold Rush magic.
“Thank you 49ers for allowing me to represent something bigger than myself for two amazing seasons. Thank you to my fearless and loving coaches, 49ers staff including Laura Johnson and all of the E2K staff for supporting me and seeing something in me from day one.
“Thank you to my beautiful, intelligent, and talented teammates for treating me as a brother and pushing me to be a better man on and off the field. Thank you 49ers Faithful for all of the love, you are THE best fan base in the NFL.
“Lastly, thank you (young) Jonathan for taking every no as an opportunity to push even harder, for taking every bit of doubt from you peers as a reason to fight harder for your dreams, and for unapologetically being yourself even when the world around you tells you not to. I leave behind an amazing program under the best NFL franchise that I am so grateful to have been apart of. Cheers to pride, to love, and to breaking glass ceilings.”
Romero was the only male cheerleader at Super Bowl LVIII earlier this year. The Kansas City Chiefs defeated the 49ers in overtime in the game.
While he’s walking away from his position with the 49ers’ Gold Rush cheer team, Romero doesn’t rule out the possibility he would return to the NFL sidelines at some point.
“I’m just 23 years old, and I don’t know where life will take me,” Romero told Outsports.
“I have aspirations beyond NFL cheer and NFL dance. I’d like to accomplish those goals. Right now I’m making more time for myself, my family and other professional aspects of my life.”
While being one of the (still relatively few) out gay male cheerleaders in the NFL could be challenging, Romero said his experience has been extremely positive.
“I’ve felt nothing but love, and I felt nothing but love at the Super Bowl,” he said. “I’m still living out my dream living out my dream with some great friends. Twelve-year-old Johnny never would have thought he’d be here.”
“Johnny being on the team has been the most enriching experience,” Anika told Outsports at the Super Bowl Opening Night in February.
“He’s one of my best friends on the team. He brings a good energy to every practice, regardless of how tired we are, regardless of how long it’s been, he’s got a good attitude from start to finish. And he crushes the dances on top of that.”
Romero is now offering his talents as a choreographer for teams at any level, from amateur and high school to the pros.
