Tony Romo, arrested a week ago on charges related to operating a vehicle while intoxicated, has been sidelined from his role as the top NFL analyst at CBS, the network announced Friday morning.
“Tony Romo is on leave from his role at CBS Sports until further notice,” CBS Sports said in a statement.
It is unclear to what degree the leave was negotiated with Romo – whether he agreed or even requested it so that he could manage the legal and personal ramifications of his arrest.
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It is possible Romo wanted this. It is also possible it was foisted upon him by his employer, who saw putting Romo on air during this time as a bad strategy.
The network is replacing Romo with former Houston Texans defensive lineman J.J. Watt as its lead analyst. Watt will work with play-by-play announcer Jim Nantz and sideline reporter Tracy Wolfson on the No. 1 CBS announcing team.
The first CBS game scheduled this NFL season is a preseason matchup between the Cincinnati Bengals and Philadelphia Eagles on Aug. 28. That primetime game begins at 8 p.m.
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CBS is poised for an extended Romo leave, according to an industry source who added that Watt has been told his addition to the No. 1 announcing team is indefinite.
Milwaukee County Sheriff’s Office deputies stopped Romo on Interstate 43 after observing what their report described as unsafe passing. Authorities said Romo displayed signs of impairment, performed poorly on field sobriety tests and refused a preliminary breath test.
Deputies also reported finding an open bottle of alcohol inside Romo’s vehicle. Romo was cited for first-offense OWI, unsafe passing and having an open intoxicant in a motor vehicle before being booked and later released pending a September court appearance.
Romo, 46, became CBS Sports’ lead NFL game analyst on April 4, 2017, the same day he announced his retirement from the NFL after the Dallas Cowboys released him.
CBS immediately announced that Romo would replace Phil Simms, who had served as the network’s No. 1 game analyst since 1998. Romo was paired with Nantz and Wolfson on CBS’s top NFL broadcast team.
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