Tony Romo will not return as an NFL analyst for CBS Sports, the network announced Friday, after his July arrest for operating a vehicle while under the influence.
“CBS Sports and Tony Romo have mutually agreed to part ways,” the network said in a statement. “We thank Tony for his contributions over the past nine years and wish him the best moving forward.”
The former Dallas Cowboys quarterback had been on indefinite leave from the network after his arrest during a traffic stop on 23 July in Wisconsin. According to the Milwaukee County Sheriff’s Office report, Romo performed poorly on field sobriety tests before getting taken into custody, booked and released.
He pleaded no contest to the charge on 1 September and was given a six-month driving ban. He was also ordered to have an interlock device placed on his vehicle, pay a fine of $834 and complete an alcohol assessment program.
Romo said he will take time to consider his next steps.
“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,” Romo said in a statement Friday. “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.”
CBS said JJ Watt will continue to serve as the network’s lead NFL game analyst. When Romo was placed on leave before the start of this season, Watt was pulled up to fill in on the network’s top broadcasting team, alongside play-by-play announcer Jim Nantz and sideline reporter Tracy Wolfson.
Romo, 46, had been the lead analyst for CBS’s NFL coverage since 2017 after making four Pro Bowl appearances during a playing career that ran from 2004 to 2016 and was spent entirely with Dallas. In 2020, he signed a then-record 10-year, $180m contract to be the network’s top analyst.
After his no-contest plea last month, Romo said his football injuries indirectly led to an “over-reliance on alcohol” and vowed to “own my mistakes fully”.
