Recently, it was revealed that former Dallas Cowboys star and CBS Sports NFL commentator Tony Romo was arrested on suspicion of operating a vehicle while intoxicated (OWI) in Wisconsin. Shortly after, video of the arrest and of Romo undergoing a sobriety test went viral.
For a company like CBS, being linked to headlines like this is not good for the brand’s image, and some change was bound to happen.
CBS Makes a Change in the Commentary Booth After Tony Romo’s Arrest
Both the arrest itself and the video of the sobriety test made major headlines in the NFL and overall news world, which put pressure on CBS Sports to do something. Romo, with his partner Jim Nantz, was a part of one of the top commentary duos in sports. People have always had their opinions on Romo’s commentary, but CBS clearly liked what they had.
But a move had to be considered after the negative press, and it ended up being the company putting Romo on leave. Former NFL defensive lineman and future Hall of Famer J.J. Watt is set to replace Romo.
After this change was made, the NFL World had mixed reactions to the news:
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NFL reporter Ari Meirov shared the breaking news and brought up Romo’s remaining contract with CBS Sports, which is significant: “Tony Romo has north of $70M and at least four years remaining on his contract with CBS.”
Tony Romo has north of $70M and at least four years remaining on his contract with CBS. https://t.co/gpc7dFx8ho
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) July 31, 2026
One user on X believes CBS Sports wanted to find a reason to make a change in the booth, but they should consider Greg Olsen to replace Romo. He said, “CBS found the reason to move on from Tony. They should hire Greg Olsen when he’s available”
CBS found the reason to move on from Tony. They should hire Greg Olsen when he’s available https://t.co/S4dhXTlftX
— jamfan40 (@jamfan40) July 31, 2026
Another user defended Romo and pointed to his cooperation during the sobriety test video that was released: “What a joke. If you saw the interaction with the cops, you’d see that he was being cooperative.”
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One fan account disagreed with the move from CBS Sports, “That is some (expletive), free my goat till it’s backwards.”
Another account also thinks the decision makes little sense and thinks what other people in the league is worse, “This is actually insane, feels like half the NFL has done much worse things”.
This is actually insane, feels like half the NFL has done much worse things https://t.co/MMVSv5f5pT
— TrackingScheffler (@SchefflerLegion) July 31, 2026
One user highlighted Romo’s cooperation during the video as well and thinks the former QB will come out on top here. He said, “Tony Romo looked fine on that video. Watch it. He’s polite, he’s cooperative, he asks for his lawyer like anyone with money would. He might beat this thing entirely.”
A Chicago Bears fan account liked the decision due to their dislike of Romo in the booth. The account wrote, “My ears rejoice”.
My ears rejoice https://t.co/aLR6WyJRtk
— BearsEmpire (@BearsEmpire_) July 31, 2026
Another fan is happy with the move and joked that football Sundays got a bit better. The fan said, “Can finally enjoy my NFL Sundays”.
With the recent news, the NFL World had some strong reactions, but no matter what, CBS Sports will have a new commentary duo for 2026. We will see what Romo’s future with the company is and whether he will be back in the booth at some point, but for now, that’s not happening.
