Tony Romo is out of the CBS broadcast booth following the drunk-driving arrest that sidelined the former Dallas Cowboys quarterback this summer. CBS Sports announced on October 2nd that its lead NFL analyst would be leaving the network. Romo had been on leave since the July incident in Milwaukee and later entered a no-contest plea. J.J. Watt will continue in his place on the network’s top NFL broadcast team.
Romo moved into television after retiring from football in 2017, joining CBS that April alongside play-by-play announcer Jim Nantz and sideline reporter Tracy Wolfson. The four-time Pro Bowler went directly from playing quarterback to analyzing games for the network’s lead announcing crew. His partnership with Nantz included three Super Bowl broadcasts. In 2020, he signed a reported 10-year, $180 million contract with CBS.
“CBS Sports and Tony Romo have mutually agreed to part ways,” the network said in its announcement. CBS thanked him for his contributions and wished him well as he leaves the company. Watt, who had already stepped into the analyst role during Romo’s absence, will remain alongside Nantz and Wolfson for the rest of the season. The network said its other announcing teams would remain in place.
Fox News reported the departure in a Facebook post. The arrest occurred on July 23rd after Milwaukee County sheriff’s deputies stopped Romo on Interstate 43. Bodycam reporting from FOX 4 described him telling a deputy that he had been at a golf tournament in West Bend and was traveling to visit his grandparents. Asked how many drinks he had consumed, Romo answered, “zero.”
According to the sheriff’s report described by FOX 4, deputies observed red, glassy eyes and smelled alcohol, and found miniature liquor bottles in a backpack inside his vehicle. The bodycam footage showed Romo being taken away from the busy interstate for physical sobriety tests, including walking heel to toe and standing on one leg. After struggling with the tests, he asked, “Did I pass this test?” He then added, “No, I didn’t, huh?”
Romo pleaded no contest on September 1st to a civil offense for operating while intoxicated in Wisconsin. According to court records reported by ABC News, an attorney entered the plea on his behalf, and the court found him guilty. His driving privileges were revoked for six months, and he was ordered to complete an alcohol assessment program. The court also required an ignition interlock device on vehicles he owned, operated or registered in his name.
Watch the bodycam footage from Romo’s arrest here:
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In a statement following the plea, Romo said back surgeries had left him with persistent pain and led to dependence on pain medication. He said his efforts to stop taking those medications had then led to an over-reliance on alcohol. “None of this is an excuse. These are my failures, and I take responsibility for them,” he wrote. He said he was working with doctors to address his health and make changes.
Romo addressed his departure in a new statement provided to ABC News, expressing pride in his work at CBS and gratitude for the support he had received. He said he planned to take a break, something he described as unfamiliar after years of playing and broadcasting. His immediate plans were to “focus on my health and my family before moving on to my next opportunity.”
Featured image credit: screengrab from the embedded video.