CBS Sports and Tony Romo have mutually agreed to end their nine-year partnership, one month after the former Cowboys quarterback pleaded no contest to driving while intoxicated in Wisconsin.
The network announced Friday that both sides had reached the decision, closing Romo’s run as lead game analyst on CBS’s top NFL broadcast team.
Romo had been on leave since his July 23 arrest after a traffic stop while driving south on Interstate 43 in Wisconsin. On Sept. 1, he pleaded no contest to operating while intoxicated. Milwaukee County court records show he lost his driving privileges for six months and was ordered to complete an alcohol assessment program.
CBS Sports kept the parting short and formal.
"CBS Sports and Tony Romo have mutually agreed to part ways. We thank Tony for his contributions over the past nine years and wish him the best moving forward."
Romo, 46, did not dodge the charge or the fallout. In a Sept. 1 Instagram statement, he said the previous month had forced him to face what he had done.
"The past month has been difficult, but it has also been personally significant. It has required me to confront and own my mistakes fully, to the Lord, to myself, to my family and now to the public."
He traced the spiral to multiple back surgeries and constant debilitating pain. That pain, he said, led to a dependence on pain medication. Efforts to get off those medications led to an over-reliance on alcohol.
Then he drew the line most public figures try to blur.
"None of this is an excuse. These are my failures and I take responsibility for them."
After the split with CBS, Romo struck a similar tone. He said he is proud of what he built in the booth, plans to take a break he has never taken before, and will focus on his health and his family before the next chapter.
"I’m proud of what I accomplished at CBS Sports over the last nine years. I approached my role as a game analyst the way I’ve approached everything in my life, with a desire to win and be the best that I can be. I’m going to use this time to take a break, something I’ve never done before, and focus on my health and my family before moving on to my next opportunity. I am grateful for my time with CBS Sports and for the continued support of my family and friends, as well as the NFL community and fans."
While Romo sat out, analyst JJ Watt stepped in alongside play-by-play announcer Jim Nantz and sideline reporter Tracy Wolfson. CBS said Watt will remain in that role. The rest of the network’s NFL broadcast teams stay the same.
Romo arrived at CBS in 2017 after a 13-year playing career spent entirely with the Dallas Cowboys from 2004 to 2016, including four Pro Bowl appearances. For nearly a decade he was the lead voice in the booth on the network’s biggest games. That run is over.
Drunk driving is not a private matter or a branding hiccup. It is a choice that puts other people at risk on the road. Romo pleaded to the charge, lost his license for half a year, and said out loud that the failure was his. Networks can issue polite statements. Courts can hand down conditions. The part that still matters is whether the person behind the wheel treats accountability as real work instead of a press release. Romo says he is doing that work now. The public is right to hold him to it.
