CBS announces Tony Romo’s permanent exit following arrest

CBS Sports announced on Friday that it has ended its relationship with analyst Tony Romo following his arrest for operating a vehicle while intoxicated in Wisconsin. Romo had been on leave since his July 23 apprehension and had served as the network’s lead NFL game analyst since 2017. “CBS Sports and Tony Romo person mutually agreed to portion ways,” CBS Sports said Friday successful a statement. “We convey Tony for his contributions implicit the past 9 years and privation him the champion moving forward.” Romo responded with a statement of his own: “I’m arrogant of what I accomplished astatine CBS Sports implicit the past 9 years,” Romo said successful a statement. “I approached my relation arsenic a crippled expert the mode I’ve approached everything successful my beingness — with a tendency to triumph and beryllium the champion that I tin be. I’m going to usage this clip to instrumentality a break, thing I’ve ne'er done before, and absorption connected my wellness and my household earlier moving connected to my adjacent opportunity. I americium grateful for my clip with CBS Sports and for the continued enactment of my household and friends, arsenic good arsenic the NFL assemblage and fans.” During Romo’s absence, analyst JJ Watt joined play‑by‑play announcer Jim Nantz and sideline reporter Tracy Wolfson on CBS’s lead NFL crew. Watt will continue in that role, and all other CBS teams will remain unchanged. Romo also addressed the situation on Instagram on Sept. 1: “The past period has been difficult, but it has besides been personally significant,” Romo said Sept. 1 successful a connection connected Instagram. “It has required maine to face and ain my mistakes afloat — to the Lord, to myself, to my household and present to the public.” According to Milwaukee County tribunal records, Romo lost his driving privileges for six months and was ordered to complete an alcohol‑evaluation program. He pleaded no contest to a charge of operating a vehicle while intoxicated on Sept. 1 and issued a statement apologizing for the actions that led to his arrest. Romo linked his struggle to the physical toll of his playing career, saying the multiple back surgeries that forced his retirement “left me with constant, debilitating pain.” He added that the pain “led to a dependence on pain medication, and my efforts to get off those medications led to an over‑reliance on alcohol.” “None of this is an excuse,” Romo said. “These are my failures and I instrumentality work for them.” He said he is working with a team of doctors to address his health and “make the indispensable changes.” The 46‑year‑old former quarterback made four Pro Bowl appearances during a playing career that ran from 2004 to 2016, all spent with the Dallas Cowboys.