Tony Romo Out at CBS Sports After Drunk-Driving Arrest

CBS Sports and Tony Romo have mutually agreed to part ways, ending his nine-year run as the network's lead NFL analyst following his July OWI arrest.

CBS Sports announced Friday, October 2, 2026, that it and lead NFL analyst Tony Romo have "mutually agreed to part ways," ending his nine-year run as the network's top game analyst. The network thanked Romo "for his contributions over the past nine years and wish[ed] him the best moving forward." Romo, 46, was arrested on July 23 after a traffic stop in Milwaukee following a golf outing, and later pleaded no contest to operating a vehicle while intoxicated. He had been on indefinite leave from CBS since shortly after the arrest.

Romo joined CBS in April 2017 immediately after retiring from 14 seasons as the Dallas Cowboys' quarterback, taking the No. 1 analyst seat from Phil Simms beside Jim Nantz and Tracy Wolfson. He became one of broadcasting's biggest names, and in early 2020 signed a 10-year, $180 million deal that Yahoo Sports reports reset the color-commentator market — a deal with four years and roughly $72 million remaining at the split.

According to the Milwaukee County Sheriff's Office, Romo "performed poorly" on standardized field sobriety tests and was taken into custody and later released; the office released body camera footage of the arrest. USA Today via Yahoo Sports reports he was charged with unsafe passing on the right, possessing open intoxicants, and OWI, after an open bottle was found in the vehicle. A court revoked his driving privileges for six months, ordered a fine, and required him to complete an alcohol assessment program.

In a September 1 Instagram statement, Romo said multiple back surgeries ended his career early, left him with constant debilitating pain, and that a dependence on pain medication and his efforts to get off it led to "an over-reliance on alcohol." He said he takes responsibility for his "failures" and is working with a team of doctors. On Friday he said he was "proud" of his CBS work and will "take a break, something I've never done before," focusing on health and family before his next opportunity.

The split removes the biggest name in CBS's NFL coverage at the start of the season and makes J.J. CBS Sports president David Berson had said in August the network promoted Watt to provide stability and had to "consider the impact on our image and on our brand," per Yahoo Sports. CBS does not air the upcoming Super Bowl in 2027 but is slated to broadcast the game in 2028.

CBS said Watt will continue partnering with Jim Nantz and Tracy Wolfson on the lead NFL announce team for the rest of the season, with all other booths unchanged, including Ian Eagle, Ross Tucker and Evan Washburn. Romo says he will take an unprecedented break to focus on his health and family before pursuing his next opportunity, and CBS thanked him for nine years of contributions as both sides moved on.