High-Profile CBS Host Departs After Embarrassing Arrest
The former QB is expected to walk away with millions he was owed under his contract, which runs through 2030.
Christopher Hanewinckel/Imagn Images via Reuters Connect
Tony Romo will not be returning to the CBS booth this NFL season.
The network announced Friday that it has mutually parted ways with the former Dallas Cowboys quarterback in the wake of his embarrassing drunk-driving arrest, which was captured by a Wisconsin officer’s body camera.
Romo, 46, was arrested in July for driving home from a golf tournament while drunk, according to a Milwaukee County Sheriff’s arrest report. The NFL star, who retired from football in 2017, pleaded no contest to a charge of operating while intoxicated last month.
Cops say they pulled Romo over around 6 p.m., and he proceeded to perform poorly on several field sobriety tests.
After failing, Romo asked his arresting officer, “Did I pass this test?”
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The officer did not answer beyond asking him to turn around so she could handcuff him, prompting Romo to add, “No, I didn’t, huh.”
CBS placed Romo on leave a week after his arrest, and he missed the first three weeks of the NFL season. Former player J.J. Watt has filled in for him on CBS Sports’ No. 1 NFL broadcast team—an arrangement that The Athletic reports will now be permanent.
Romo, who previously had a high-profile romance with actress Jessica Simpson from 2007 to 2009, became a broadcaster after leaving the NFL in 2017. He was the lead analyst for The NFL on CBS, which airs every Sunday.
The ex-QB, who made $8.5 million in his final year as a Cowboy, signed a 10-year extension with CBS in 2020 that was worth $180 million, averaging a whopping $18 million a year. He has been on the call with Jim Nantz for three Super Bowls since joining the network.
Romo had worked alongside Jim Nantz since 2017. They called three Super Bowls together, and Nantz said he hoped the two would become the “modern-day version” of Pat Summerall and John Madden. That dream seems dead now.
Noam Galai/Getty Images for Paramount
Sources told The Athletic that Romo reached a settlement before Friday’s announcement. Since they avoided a court battle, the site reports that Romo will “probably be paid a good portion of the remaining money he was owed.”
CBS did not mention the settlement in its statement announcing Romo’s departure.
Clips of Tony Romo’s arrest quickly went viral on social media.
Milwaukee County Sheriff’s Office
“CBS Sports and Tony Romo have mutually agreed to part ways,” the network said. “We thank Tony for his contributions over the past nine years and wish him the best moving forward.”
In his own statement, Romo said he is going to take a break from football.
“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,” he said. “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.”
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