NEW YORK — Tony Romo and CBS Sports have "mutually agreed to part ways" two months after he was placed on indefinite leave following his July arrest on suspicion of operating while intoxicated (OWI), the network announced Friday morning. CBS Sports said in a statement, "We thank Tony for his contributions over the past nine years and wish him the best moving forward."
J.J. Watt, who has been filling in for Romo as the color commentator on CBS Sports' lead NFL broadcast team, will continue in the role for the remainder of the season. Romo, a former four-time Pro Bowl quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys, has been booth partners with play-by-play announcer Jim Nantz since 2017.
Romo entered a no-contest plea on Sept. 1 to the OWI charge stemming from his July 23 arrest in Wisconsin. A Milwaukee County judge found Romo guilty of the charge and took away his driving privileges for six months, ordered him to pay $834, and required an ignition interlock device installed on his vehicles for a minimum of one year. Citations against Romo for having an open container of an alcoholic beverage in a moving vehicle and unsafe passing were dismissed.
"I'm proud of what I accomplished at CBS Sports over the last nine years," Romo said in a statement released soon after CBS announced the move. "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." He added, "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." Afterward, Romo said multiple back injuries from his playing career led to "a dependence on pain medication, and my efforts to get off those medications led to an over-reliance on alcohol," adding, "None of this is an excuse. These are my failures, and I take responsibility for them."