Tony Romo Placed on Leave by CBS After Wisconsin OWI Arrest

Caption: Tony Romo in 2009. Credit: Bigcats lair, via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0.

CBS Took Romo Out of Its Lead NFL Booth

CBS Sports placed Tony Romo on leave until further notice after the former Dallas Cowboys quarterback was arrested in Wisconsin on suspicion of operating a vehicle while under the influence. The network also moved J.J. Watt into its lead NFL broadcast team alongside Jim Nantz and Tracy Wolfson.

The decision gives the arrest an immediate professional consequence. Romo has been the prominent voice beside Nantz since 2017 and one of the highest-profile analysts in American sports television. His absence now extends beyond a legal matter scheduled for a later court date and into the network’s preparations for the NFL season.

The Stop Happened on Interstate 43

According to the Milwaukee County Sheriff’s Office, Romo was stopped while driving south on Interstate 43 on July 23. The arrest report said he performed poorly on field sobriety tests before he was taken into custody, booked and later released.

Authorities also reported an open alcoholic beverage container in the vehicle and described signs that led deputies to suspect impairment. Romo has not been convicted. His court date is scheduled for September 21.

Wisconsin Treats a First Offense Differently

A first-offense OWI in Wisconsin is generally handled as a civil violation rather than a criminal charge. That legal distinction is important because an arrest on suspicion of OWI is not the same as a criminal conviction or even a filed criminal charge.

CBS did not wait for the court process to conclude before changing its broadcast team. The network’s decision reflects the separate standards employers and public-facing media companies may apply when an employee’s conduct becomes part of the news.

Romo’s Broadcasting Career Changed NFL Television

Romo moved directly from the Cowboys to CBS after retiring from the NFL. His early broadcasts drew attention because he frequently predicted plays before the snap and explained quarterback decisions in language casual viewers could follow.

That reputation helped make him the network’s lead analyst almost immediately. It also made the position unusually visible. Romo is not one contributor among many; he is part of the broadcast team assigned to CBS’s most important weekly NFL game.

J.J. Watt Now Gets the Most Visible Assignment

CBS selected Watt, the former three-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year, to work with Nantz and Wolfson while Romo is away. Watt joined CBS in 2023 and has built television experience after a playing career that made him one of the league’s most recognizable defensive stars.

The move creates a second story inside the first. Romo’s leave gives Watt an opportunity that would normally be difficult to reach without years of booth work. Whether the change is temporary or lasts deeper into the season will depend on both the legal process and CBS’s judgment about Romo’s return.

The Court Date Comes After the NFL Season Begins

The NFL regular season begins before Romo’s scheduled September 21 court date. CBS therefore had to make a lineup decision without waiting for the case to move through court.

For now, Romo remains on leave, Watt has the lead assignment and the network has not announced a timetable for reconsidering the decision. The arrest did not end Romo’s broadcasting career, but it changed the start of the season before the first game was called.

References: AP News | ABC News | WISN