The Tony Romo era at CBS is over.
CBS announced Friday that it has agreed to “mutually part ways” with its lead NFL analyst Tony Romo, ending a nine-year tenure that began with widespread acclaim and a record contract, but ultimately collapsed under the weight of his shortcomings in and outside of the broadcast booth. Romo had been on a leave of absence after being arrested for OWI in Wisconsin over the summer.
JJ Watt, who filled in for Romo during his leave of absence, will continue on the lead NFL team with Jim Nantz for the remainder of the season. Ross Tucker, who was filling in for Watt on the “B” team with Ian Eagle, will also remain in that role.
In a statement publicized by Front Office Sports, Romo expressed gratitude for CBS tenure and said he is going to “take a break” to focus on his health and family before moving on to his “next opportunity.” [Related: Will Tony Romo get a second chance?]
Romo joined CBS straight out of retirement in 2017 and was immediately placed on its lead NFL team alongside Jim Nantz — bumping the network’s longtime lead analyst Phil Simms. He was immediately praised for his enthusiastic style and ability to predict plays, and in short order was rewarded with what was at the time the most lucrative contract ever given a TV analyst.
Over time, the bloom came off the rose. Romo’s idiosyncrasies began to grate on viewers and critics, and there were reports that CBS held an ‘intervention’ with him regarding his performance. The network’s promotion of Watt to its secondary broadcast booth was widely understood to be a succession plan of sorts, akin to a team drafting a young quarterback amidst misgivings about the starter (incidentally, an issue to which Romo can relate — having been the starting QB of the Cowboys when they drafted Dak Prescott.)
Romo is far from the first sports media figure to be arrested for driving under the influence, but few have lost their job as a result. ESPN fired then-NHL analyst Matthew Barnaby in 2011 after he was arrested on suspicion of DWI, but that was his second arrest of that year, following a domestic violence arrest months earlier. TNT Sports analyst Charles Barkley was arrested for DUI in December 2008 and even briefly jailed, but his punishment was a six-week suspension through the NBA All-Star break. Then-ESPN NBA analyst Jalen Rose was arrested for DUI in 2011 and also briefly jailed, but again served only a suspension.
That Romo ultimately lost his CBS role would seem to be at least in part due to the downturn in perception of his performance.
