Tony Romo placed on leave by CBS Sports following arrest
Jul 31, 2026, 11:29 AM ET
CBS Sports has placed NFL analyst Tony Romo on leave following his arrest last week on suspicion of driving under the influence, the network announced Friday.
Romo received three citations from the Milwaukee County Sheriff's Office following a July 23 traffic stop after he was seen passing cars in a gore area, which separates interstate traffic from cars entering from an on-ramp.
He performed poorly on field sobriety tests and was taken into custody, booked and released. The sheriff's office said Romo had an open container of alcohol in his black Jeep. Court records show Romo was later cited for refusing "to take test for intoxication after arrest."
"Tony Romo is on leave from his role at CBS Sports until further notice," the network said in a statement.
Romo, 46, has been the lead game analyst for CBS' NFL coverage since 2017 after making four Pro Bowl appearances during an NFL career that ran from 2004 to 2016 and was spent entirely with the
Dallas Cowboys.
With Romo on leave, former
Houston Texans pass rusher J.J. Watt will step in as CBS' lead game analyst to work with Jim Nantz and Tracy Wolfson. Watt became a game analyst last season after first joining the network in 2023.
According to body camera footage released earlier this week, Romo told deputies that he had been coming from a golf course and was on his way "to visit grandma and grandpa" when he was stopped. A deputy told Romo he suspected him of being impaired because he had "red glassy eyes" and an "odor of an intoxicating alcoholic beverage."
A court appearance is scheduled for Sept. 21.
Romo, who went to high school about 35 miles from Milwaukee in Burlington, Wisconsin, remains the Cowboys' franchise leader in career touchdown passes with 248. He held the franchise record for career passing yards (34,183) until
Dak Prescott overtook him last season.
