Tony Romo and CBS Sports part ways after July drink-driving arrest and no-contest plea

MixedCBS Sports said in a statement on Friday 2 October that it and NFL analyst Tony Romo "have mutually agreed to part ways", thanking him for his contributions over nine years. 1 2 MixedRomo, a former Dallas Cowboys quarterback, had been on leave since July, when he was arrested in Wisconsin on suspicion of driving while intoxicated. 1 2 MixedDeadline, citing the AP, reports the arrest was on 23 July on a Wisconsin highway, that an open bottle of alcohol was found in the passenger side of the vehicle, and that he was taken into custody after field sobriety tests; Variety says the traffic stop was on Interstate 43 and the incident was in Milwaukee. 2 3

LeftNBC News adds that police said Romo "performed poorly" on standardized field sobriety tests during the Milwaukee traffic stop. 4 LeftRomo pleaded no contest to the charges in September; The Hollywood Reporter dates the plea to 1 September and notes that first OWI offences in Wisconsin are civil offences. 1 3 LeftAfter the plea, Romo said multiple back surgeries had left him in constant pain and led to a dependence on pain medication, and that efforts to stop those drugs led to "an over-reliance on alcohol". Variety adds that he said "None of this is an excuse" and that he takes responsibility. 1 3

MixedIn his own statement on Friday, Romo said he was proud of his work at CBS Sports and would "take a break, something I've never done before", to focus on his health and family before "my next opportunity". 2 1 RightFox News (OutKick), citing an unnamed source, reports that Romo and CBS negotiated the separation and that it includes payments to Romo, with the amount not disclosed. 5 RightFox News says Romo signed a 10-year contract in 2020 worth a reported $180 million, with four years including this one remaining, worth roughly $70-$75 million; it says Romo, 46, lost his driving privileges for six months and must complete an alcohol-assessment program and install an ignition-interlock device. 5

RightBreitbart notes that speculation persisted that Romo would not return to the lead CBS booth because of a belief his performance had fallen off and because of Watt's strong fill-in work, while Fox News's column argues that sports television is forgiving and Romo may eventually return to a broadcast role. 6 5 MixedJJ Watt, who has filled in for Romo this season, will stay alongside play-by-play announcer Jim Nantz and sideline reporter Tracy Wolfson on CBS's lead NFL team for the rest of the season; Deadline adds that CBS said its other teams, including Ian Eagle, Ross Tucker and Evan Washburn, remain the same. 1 2 LeftVariety frames the exit in business terms: it says Romo signed a multi-season deal in 2020 worth about $17 million a year, that top NFL booth talent is estimated to earn $15 million to $20 million per season, and that CBS Sports is likely to curb spending as its parent, the merged Paramount Skydance company, will carry heavy debt. 3

LeftVariety also says several leading announcers' contracts are expected to lapse after this season, and that CBS may have to resolve the contract of Ian Eagle, which it says is believed to be set to expire. 3