Bad phases have a way of arriving all at once. For Tony Romo, a July 23 OWI arrest in Wisconsin was merely the opening act of a brutal cascade. On October 2, the former Cowboys quarterback’s $18 million-a-year tenure as CBS’ lead NFL analyst officially came to an end. But his worst day was far from over. Seeking refuge from his “joyful obsession,” Romo turned to the golf course and faced a second public blowout on the very same day his CBS career came to an end.

Romo took part in the third and final round of a Korn Ferry Tour pre-qualifier, a first step for golfers to eventually play in the tour. After the first and second rounds, the former quarterback was disqualified for signing an incorrect scorecard following his third round, according to Golf.com.

Romo started with rounds of 76 and 75, putting him well behind the leaders after 36 holes. However, there are three different accounts of the actual scores for Romo.

“The Oklahoma pro, whom [Rob] Keller declined to name, looked at Romo’s scorecard Friday night on a website that showed hole-by-hole scores,” Michael Bamberger of Golf.com said. “As he recalled Romo’s play, Romo had a three-putt bogey 5 on his 16th hole and a three-putt bogey 5 on his 17th hole as well. In other words, where [Brandon] Rice had Romo for a 4 and a 5, the South Central PGA pro/walking referee had Romo for a 5 and a 5. But Romo signed for a 4 on 16 and a 4 on 17.”

This mistake came with a heavy price. According to the Rules of Golf, submitting a lower score than the actual number of strokes taken on a hole results in disqualification. Golf.com reported that Rob Keller, a PGA Tour rules official, reached out to Romo by phone once the error came to light. 

Keller believed that since there have been too many things on Romo’s plate, he did not thoroughly check his marker’s recorded scores. There was slow play, he could not make birdies, and “all that was going on with him” led him to become unmindful. However, per Bleacher Report, Keller said Romo “took responsibility” for his mistakes and was “very complimentary” of the event.

This incident came as a blow to Romo’s new career as a golfer that had taken off a few years back. 

The event is a multi-stage professional qualification process. Advancing from the pre-qualifying requires a finish of 37th or better, including ties. The projected cut line is four over par. Even if Romo had made it, he would have had three more stages waiting for him. The top 5 in the final stage get the much-coveted PGA Tour cards.

Having spent years honing his golf game, Romo received a sponsor’s exemption to play in a second-tier PGA Tour event in the Dominican Republic in 2018. In the fall of 2018, competing against 86 professional golfers at Lantana Golf Club in Lewisville, he secured a top-30 finish to advance to the first stage of a Web.com Tour qualifying tournament.

In April this year, Romo had also competed in the early stages of qualifying for the U.S. Open. However, he couldn’t make the final cut, posting a 9-over 79 in local qualifying in Texas, 11 shots short of the cutoff mark. He had made the final stage of qualifying for the U.S. Open in 2010, and has secured a win at the American Century Championship.

But now, Romo is without a job and an opportunity to further his golf skills.

Tony Romo’s Next Career Move Remains Up in the Air

The current timeline is sensitive for Romo. The former quarterback was arrested during a traffic stop on 23 July in Wisconsin while he was returning from playing at the Wisconsin State Amateur golf tournament. Romo was pulled over while driving southbound on I-43 at around 8 p.m., according to the arrest-detention report. He reportedly failed the standard field sobriety tests. He was arrested on suspicion of operating a vehicle while intoxicated (OWI).

Romo’s blood alcohol content was reported to be 0.15, nearly twice the limit in Milwaukee.

In a statement, the former quarterback admitted to having turned to alcohol to manage his issues with pain medication. He pled no contest.

For a long time, CBS was silent on what they would do with Romo’s future at the network. He was one of its highest-paid employees, taking home $18 million annually, and was set to call games through the 2030 season. However, the backlash on Romo and scrutiny on the network following the arrest complicated that future.

They had initially placed him on an indefinite leave and parted ways with him this month. J.J. Watt has been promoted to the No. 1 crew to take Romo’s place behind the mic this year.

“I’m proud of what I accomplished at CBS Sports over the last nine years. I approached my role as a game analyst the way I’ve approached everything in my life–with a desire to win and be the best that I can be,” Romo wrote in another statement following his exit. “I’m going to use this time to take a break, something I’ve never done before, and focus on my health and my family before moving on to my next opportunity.”

CBS job? Gone. Future in golf? Unclear at the moment. Tony Romo really has a lot going on for him now.