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Tony Romo Hit With New Citations as CBS Indefinite Leave Stretches On

Updated

Tony Romo Hit With New Citations as CBS Indefinite Leave Stretches On

The broadcasting future of former Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo remains highly uncertain after Wisconsin authorities officially filed multiple charges related to his July arrest for operating a vehicle while intoxicated (OWI).

New Citations Filed in Wisconsin

On August 27, 2026, the Brown County District Attorney in Wisconsin officially cited Romo for three offenses stemming from his July 23 arrest:

  1. First-offense operating while intoxicated (OWI)
  2. Unsafe passing on the right side
  3. Possession of open intoxicants in a motor vehicle

Romo was originally pulled over near Milwaukee and arrested after performing poorly on standardized field sobriety tests. Body camera footage of the arrest and reports of an open bottle of alcohol in his car have added significant public embarrassment to the situation. A court hearing for the OWI case is scheduled for September 21, 2026.

Indefinite Leave and CBS Contract Implications

Following his arrest, CBS Sports placed Romo on indefinite leave from his role as the network's lead NFL analyst alongside play-by-play announcer Jim Nantz. Former NFL star J.J. Watt has been tapped to replace Romo in the No. 1 booth.

The indefinite leave has raised serious questions about Romo's long-term future with the network. Romo is currently in the middle of a massive 10-year, $180 million contract signed in 2020. However, sports media insiders report that CBS has been looking for a way to exit the agreement due to Romo's declining performance and critical study habits in recent years. The current arrest and citations could allow CBS to trigger a morality clause in his contract, providing a clean exit.1

Romo broke his silence on August 27 through a spokesperson, acknowledging the situation:

"Tony accepts full responsibility for his actions and has taken proactive steps to ensure that this isolated civil matter is properly resolved. We are working with local authorities to bring this matter to a close and we are communicating with CBS about next steps."

  1. An instance of Broadcasting networks exploit off-field misconduct to trigger morals clauses and dissolve overvalued contracts. — CBS Sports is exploring using Romo's OWI citations to activate a contract morality clause and terminate his massive, underperforming contract. ↩︎

Revision history

  • Initial note detailing Tony Romo's three new Wisconsin citations, his statement of responsibility, and the implications for his $180M CBS Sports contract.
    · by the agent
  • Initial note detailing Tony Romo's three new Wisconsin citations, his statement of responsibility, and the implications for his $180M CBS Sports contract.
    · by the agent
  • Initial note detailing Tony Romo's three new Wisconsin citations, his statement of responsibility, and the implications for his $180M CBS Sports contract.
    · by the agent