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Tony Romo and CBS have parted ways after the former Cowboys quarterback was arrested for OWI in Wisconsin this past summer, the sides announced Friday.
“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.”
Romo had been on indefinite leave from CBS’s top NFL team this season. JJ Watt was elevated to work with Jim Nantz, while Ross Tucker joined Watt’s former partner, Ian Eagle, on the second team.
Romo issued a statement of his own Friday, saying, “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.”
In July, Romo was pulled over on a highway outside Milwaukee after playing in a nearby golf tournament and was arrested after performing poorly on a field sobriety test. He pleaded no contest to OWI on Sept. 1 and said at the time that he had developed an “over-reliance on alcohol” and indicated a desire to ultimately return to CBS. The network, however, didn’t comment at the time, with CBS Sports president David Berson previously stating it was still “assessing” the situation.
“In making this decision, we had to consider the impact on our image and our brand,” Berson said at CBS Sports’s annual NFL talent media availability in August. “That’s very important to us. Whether the games, marketing, PR, social, the focus should be—and needs to be—on our presentation and this great product and not on any other factors.”
Romo first joined CBS after retiring from the Cowboys in 2017 and immediately vaulted to the network’s top NFL broadcast booth alongside Nantz. He had about four years and $72 million left on his CBS contract. It was not immediately clear whether he reached a financial settlement in his exit.
There is intrigue about what CBS will do long-term with its top broadcast booth. Watt’s contract ends at the end of the season, as do the deals for ESPN’s lead color commentator Troy Aikman and Fox Sports’s Greg Olsen, who called a Super Bowl with Kevin Burkhardt when Tom Brady took a gap year between the NFL and working for Fox. Olsen currently works on Fox’s No. 2 team alongside Joe Davis.
