Tony Romo admits to drinking issue, plans to return to CBS in first comments since arrest
Romo is suspended by CBS and won't call the network's Week 1 game featuring the Green Bay Packers and Minnesota Vikings.
Tony Romo pleaded no contest Tuesday to operating a vehicle while intoxicated and said he planned to turn to CBS “in time.”
The Dallas Cowboys quarterback-turned-NFL broadcaster confirmed the no-contest plea and called the incident a “personal failure” in a statement shared on his Instagram account.
Romo was arrested in Wisconsin on July 23 for suspicion of operating a vehicle while under the influence. Body camera video released by the Milwaukee County Sheriff’s Office showed Romo denying he was drinking while struggling at times to follow the officers’ instructions.
As a result of the plea, Romo will be forced to give up his driver’s license for six months and pay a fine of $784, according to court records. He’s also required to complete an alcohol assessment program and install a Breathalyzer to the ignition of any car he owns.
Romo also admitted to using alcohol to cope with the multiple injuries he suffered during his 13-year NFL career.
“Multiple back surgeries ended my career earlier than I expected and left me with constant debilitating pain,” Romo wrote. “That pain led to a dependence on pain medication, and my efforts to get those medications led to an over-reliance on alcohol.”
“None of this is an excuse,” Romo added. “These are my failures, and I take responsibility for them.”
Romo also asked for privacy and said he was turning his attention to his health, family, and “in time, my return to CBS.”
Romo is on leave at CBS, and will be replaced by former Houston Texans defender J.J. Watt in Week 1. Replacing Watt in the network’s No. 2 booth will be Eagles preseason announcer Ross Tucker.
The network hasn’t announced its Week 2 lineup, and CBS did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
During a media day event with reporters last month, CBS Sports President David Berson called Romo’s status an “evolving situation” and said there was “no timetable or final decision” on when — or if — the network’s top NFL analyst could be back in the booth.
“Fortunately, we have a very deep bench, and I’m really proud of the way everyone’s stepping up and responding,” Berson said.
Romo isn’t the first high-profile announcer to be involved in a drunk driving incident.
In 2009, former Sixers star and Hall of Famer Charles Barkley spent three days in jail and was suspended six weeks by TNT after pleading guilty to having driven under the influence on New Year’s Eve.
Jalen Rose was suspended but later returned to ESPN after his DUI arrest in 2011, despite waiting three weeks to tell the network. Al Michaels was arrested for DUI in 2013, but NBC took no disciplinary action and he didn’t miss any Sunday Night Football games since his legal issues were resolved before the start of the season.
Romo joined CBS in 2017 and immediately became a fan favorite, thanks to his lighthearted tone and ability to predict plays. But in recent years Romo has faced criticism for appearing to be unprepared and chemistry issues with his partner, veteran play-by-play announcer Jim Nantz.
“He was everything we made him out to be in those first three years,” The Athletic’s Andrew Marchand said of Romo on this week’s The Varsity with John Ourand podcast. “He’s gone backward, and we’ve seen things that just haven’t sounded right … The fact is he hasn’t been good, and the work ethic’s been questioned.”
Staff writer Abraham Gutman contributed to this article.
