Tony Romo’s entire career was built on getting chances he wasn’t supposed to get. Once undrafted out of Eastern Illinois, he spent years waiting for an opportunity before eventually becoming the quarterback of the Dallas Cowboys. And then, once out of football, a job as one of the most recognizable voices in NFL broadcasting simply landed in his lap, without him ever having considered himself in that role.
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In April 2017, as Romo weighed retirement against playing on, CBS executives quietly met with him in a private room at a Houston restaurant and offered him a chance to replace Phil Simms as the network’s lead analyst. Just like that, Romo moved into the booth alongside Jim Nantz and built an entirely new career. But while football gave him that second chapter, it also left him carrying the physical consequences of the first. On Tuesday, Romo finally opened up about what those years had taken from him, marking the first time he had spoken about the incident.
“Football has shaped nearly every meaningful part of my life. After my retirement, CBS gave me the profound honor of staying close to the game through broadcasting,” Romo’s statement on Instagram read. “This morning, I faced a recent personal failure by pleading no contest to a civil offense for OWI in Wisconsin. I own this completely. Multiple back surgeries ended my career earlier than expected and left me with constant, debilitating pain. That pain led to a dependence on pain medication, and my efforts to get off those medications led to an over-reliance on alcohol.
“As I have taught my three young sons: when you fall short, you stand up and take full responsibility. That is an important first step. These are my failures, and I take responsibility for them. The past month has been difficult, but it has also been personally significant.”
But Romo’s statement went beyond accepting responsibility for the arrest.
“None of this is an excuse,” he added, explaining that he was now working closely with doctors “to address my health and make the necessary changes.” He also thanked his family, friends and the NFL community for their support while asking for privacy as he turned his attention to his health, his family and, “in time,” a return to CBS.
The arrest itself came on July 23, after Romo was stopped while driving south on Interstate 43 in Milwaukee County. The stop came at the end of a particularly familiar kind of day for the former Cowboys quarterback: Romo had been competing in the Wisconsin Amateur Championship in nearby West Bend, having finished tied for 73rd, before heading toward his hometown area to see family. Body-camera footage showed him telling deputies he was on his way to visit his grandparents.
Deputies reported signs of impairment and said Romo performed poorly on standardized field sobriety tests. An open alcoholic beverage was also found inside his vehicle. Romo was subsequently arrested and booked into the Milwaukee County Jail, and CBS placed its lead NFL analyst on leave days later, with J.J. Watt taking his place alongside Jim Nantz and Tracy Wolfson.
The situation had already prompted one significant show of support from inside the Cowboys family. Jerry Jones revealed in August that he had been speaking with Romo and pointed to a trait the quarterback had displayed long before this difficult stretch.
“I love him. I love what he’s about. I love his character. I love his love of sport,” Jones said before asking: “Do you think Tony Romo knows how to get up when he gets knocked down? He had a life of that.”
That sentiment resurfaced in a different form after Romo finally spoke for himself. Tom Brady, one of Romo’s longtime NFL contemporaries, left two heart emojis under the Instagram statement.
“❤️❤️❤️,” Brady commented under Romo’s post.
Former Buffalo Bills center Eric Wood was more direct.
“I’m in your corner brother!” Wood wrote.
Former Cowboys wide receiver Dez Bryant, who played eight seasons alongside Tony Romo, also chimed in and expressed his thoughts with just two emojis, “❤️🙏🏿.”
Actor Chace Crawford, Romo’s brother-in-law, wrote, “Love you ❤️.” Meanwhile, former MLB star Bret Saberhagen focused on the accountability Romo had emphasized throughout his statement.
“Proud of your accountability and willingness to want to do better,” he wrote. “We’ve all been there in some way! Class act in my book!”
The statement came after Romo pleaded no contest to a first-offense OWI citation on September 1. The remaining citations were dismissed as part of the case’s resolution. According to Milwaukee County court records, Romo lost his driving privileges for six months, was ordered to complete an alcohol assessment program and owes $834. He must also use an ignition interlock device on vehicles he owns or operates, with that requirement lasting for at least a year after his license is reissued.
For now, however, there is still no public timeline for Romo’s return to CBS. His own statement made clear that he sees broadcasting as part of his future, but only after addressing what he described as a difficult and personally significant period in his life.