Tony Romo OWI arrest, on leave from CBS indefinitely

MILWAUKEE - Tony Romo is on leave from his broadcast role with CBS "until further notice" after he was arrested for OWI in Milwaukee a week prior.

Romo out, Watt in?

What they're saying:

A statement from CBS Sports said: "Tony Romo is on leave from his role at CBS Sports until further notice." 

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ESPN's Adam Schefter also reported that Wisconsin native J.J. Watt has already been tabbed to replace Romo and work with Jim Nantz and Tracy Wolfson as the lead NFL on CBS broadcast team.

Tony Romo arrested | July 23, 2026

The backstory:

According to the Milwaukee County Sheriff's Office, Romo was stopped on the high-rise bridge while driving south on I-43. An arrest detention report said he was taken into custody after he performed poorly on standardized field sobriety tests.

Romo was put in handcuffs and, because of the amount of traffic at that hour, was taken back to the station for field sobriety tests. He refused to take a breathalyzer test.

Timeline:

A deputy pulled Romo over at approximately 5:30 p.m., and he was arrested at around 6:15 p.m. He was booked into the jail at around 9:45 p.m. and released at approximately 11 p.m.

The Milwaukee County Sheriff's Office later released body-worn camera video in which Romo, a Burlington native, told a deputy he had left a West Bend golf tournament and was headed to his hometown to see family that night.

Dig deeper:

According to one of three citations released by the Milwaukee County Sheriff’s Office, the "open bottle of an alcoholic beverage" was discovered in the passenger’s side of Romo’s black Jeep during an inventory before it was towed.

Another citation said Romo was seen passing cars in a gore area, which separates interstate traffic from cars entering from an on-ramp. Police said Romo questioned what a gore area was during the stop. 

A deputy told Romo he suspected him of being impaired because he had "red glassy eyes" and an "odor of an intoxicating alcoholic beverage."

Tony Romo's career

Big picture view:

Romo played golf in the Wisconsin Amateur Championship in West Bend, which took place July 20-23. He tied for 73rd.

The 46-year-old Romo retired from football in 2017 and joined CBS as a color commentator soon after. Since retiring, Romo and Jim Nantz have been the main tandem for CBS, calling three Super Bowls.

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Romo was the Cowboys' starting quarterback from 2006 to 2015, but an injury cost him his spot in 2016 and the team released him after that season. He eventually retired.

Romo went 2-4 in the playoffs and never made it past the divisional round, famously dropping a snap for a potential game-winning field goal in his first against the Seattle Seahawks.

By the numbers:

Over the course of his career, Romo threw for 34,183 yards, 248 touchdowns, and 117 interceptions, completing 65.3% of his passes. He was named to the Pro Bowl four times and finished tied for third in the MVP vote in 2014 behind Aaron Rodgers and J.J. Watt – tied with DeMarco Murray.

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