CBS has placed NFL analyst Tony Romo on leave "until further notice" after his arrest on suspicion of operating while intoxicated in Wisconsin, and former defensive star JJ Watt will step into the top broadcast booth just weeks before the season opener.
The network issued its statement Friday, confirming Romo's suspension from the No. 1 broadcast team he has anchored since 2017. The New York Post reported that Romo, 46, was pulled over last week while driving south on Interstate 43 in Wisconsin after competing in the Wisconsin Amateur Championship golf tournament, where he finished 35-over-par and won $60.
Officers said they found an open bottle of an alcoholic beverage on the passenger side of Romo's black Jeep. They also claimed Romo performed poorly on field sobriety tests. Romo refused to take an intoxication test after his arrest, was handcuffed, and was placed in the back of a cruiser.
Citations reviewed by the Post paint a picture of erratic driving before the stop. One citation stated that Romo drove in the marked right distress lane, essentially the emergency shoulder, to pass vehicles in the two travel lanes during rush hour traffic, then "cut across the marked gore" to reach his intended route. A gore is the painted triangular area separating highway lanes from an exit ramp, and drivers are prohibited from crossing it.
When confronted by the arresting officer, Romo pushed back. He told officers he had consumed "zero" drinks and said he was heading to visit "grandma and grandpa." He challenged the basis for the stop, according to the Post's account:
"Because I'm coming from a golf course you think I'm drunk?"
When instructed to step out of the vehicle for a sobriety test, Romo said he planned to call his attorney first. He filmed the interaction on his phone and told officers he would not cooperate with testing:
"I've heard from all the lawyers don't ever do that. So, we're not going to do that."
That refusal earned him a separate citation for "refuse to take test for intoxication after arrest." Combined with the OWI and the driving violations, Romo faces $1,568.50 in total fines. A spokesperson for the Milwaukee County District Attorney's office told the Post the case is "a traffic violation and not a criminal charge in Wisconsin." A court hearing is set for September 21, though Romo is not required to attend.
Romo's arrest follows a pattern of bodycam footage from the stop that drew widespread attention for the former quarterback's combative exchange with the arresting officer.
CBS's first regular-season broadcast falls on September 13, Week 1 of the NFL season, barely six weeks from now. With Romo sidelined, multiple reports indicate that JJ Watt will fill the analyst chair alongside play-by-play man Jim Nantz and sideline reporter Tracy Wolfson on the network's top broadcast team.
Watt, who retired from the NFL in 2022 and joined CBS in 2023, inherits the role amid pre-existing criticism of Romo's declining performance in the booth. The network's statement offered no timeline for Romo's potential return, and the open-ended "until further notice" language suggests CBS is waiting to see how the legal situation develops before making any commitment.
Romo has not publicly addressed the arrest or his leave from CBS. He has also withdrawn from a Texas golf tournament in the wake of the incident.
Romo went undrafted out of Eastern Illinois and built a 13-year career with the Dallas Cowboys, throwing for 34,183 yards and 248 touchdowns while earning four Pro Bowl selections. He retired after the 2016 season and was named CBS's top NFL analyst in 2017, quickly becoming one of the highest-profile voices in sports broadcasting.
Now all of that equity is on hold over a traffic stop on a Wisconsin interstate. The case itself may be classified as a traffic violation rather than a criminal charge under Wisconsin law, but CBS clearly decided it could not afford to wait for the September 21 hearing to act. Celebrity athletes facing impaired-driving allegations have learned repeatedly that the legal classification matters less than the public fallout, and the network's willingness to absorb the distraction.
Whether Romo's leave lasts weeks or stretches through the season depends on facts that remain unclear: what, if anything, was in the open bottle, why he refused testing, and whether the DA's office pursues additional action. CBS gave itself maximum flexibility with the indefinite suspension, and Romo gave himself minimum leverage by declining every opportunity to cooperate with officers on the scene.
When you tell the cops you won't take the test and tell the network nothing at all, don't be surprised when both sides make their own decisions without you.
