CBS Sports moved fast. A week after Tony Romo was arrested near Milwaukee, the network announced he's on leave from his role calling NFL games until further notice. No timeline, no reinstatement date, just a straight suspension while the situation plays out.
The arrest itself came with details that made it worse than a simple traffic stop. According to police, per AP, Romo had an open bottle of alcohol in his car and performed poorly on field sobriety tests before being taken into custody, booked, and released.
Romo, 46, is a Wisconsin native who reportedly told officers he was headed to visit his grandparents when he was pulled over. He's due in court on September 21, which gives CBS a hard date to watch even as the network stays vague on when, or if, he's coming back to the desk.
The stakes for CBS go way beyond one broadcast. Romo signed a 10-year, $180 million deal back in 2020, a contract that made him the highest-paid analyst in sports broadcasting history and runs through the 2030 season. He's been the network's top color guy since 2017, paired with Jim Nantz on the marquee Sunday window. Losing him mid-season, even temporarily, is a real problem for a top NFL package.
For the time being, analyst JJ Watt will replace Tony Romo, and work alongside Jim Nantz and Tracy Wolfson.
CBS didn't scramble far for a replacement. JJ Watt steps in alongside Nantz and Tracy Wolfson for the time being, a fill-in job that puts a future Hall of Fame pass rusher in the biggest chair in the building on short notice. Whether that's a one-week arrangement or the start of something longer probably depends less on football and more on how Romo's legal situation shakes out this fall.