CBS Sports has placed its lead NFL analyst Tony Romo on leave “until further notice,” the network confirmed in a statement on Friday, roughly a week after the former Dallas Cowboys quarterback was arrested in Wisconsin on suspicion of operating while intoxicated.
In its first public comment since the arrest, the network kept the message brief. “Tony Romo is on leave from his role at CBS Sports until further notice,” CBS said, offering no timeline for a possible return. To fill the vacancy, former Houston Texans star J.J. Watt will step in alongside play by play announcer Jim Nantz and sideline reporter Tracy Wolfson on the network’s top NFL broadcast team.
What happened
Romo, 46, was arrested in Milwaukee on July 23, 2026, according to a Milwaukee County Sheriff’s Office report obtained by ABC News. He was stopped on Interstate 43 around 8 p.m., reportedly hours after competing in the Wisconsin Amateur Championship, and was taken into custody after performing poorly on standardized field sobriety tests.
Romo was issued three citations in connection with the stop: operating while under the influence, unsafe passing, and possession of an open container in a moving vehicle. Police reports noted that an open bottle of alcohol was found in his vehicle. He was booked and released the same night.
It is important to note that these are citations, not convictions. Romo has not entered a plea, and the matter remains before the court.
Bodycam footage and the public reaction
Attention around the case intensified when body camera footage of the stop surfaced this week. In the widely shared clips, Romo can reportedly be heard questioning the officer’s suspicion and asking about the results of his sobriety test. According to accounts of the footage, at one point he pushed back on the deputy by pointing out that he was returning from a golf course.
Romo, who grew up in Wisconsin, told officers he was headed to visit family when he was pulled over, per reports on the footage.
The legal picture
In Wisconsin, a first offense OWI is treated as a civil traffic matter rather than a criminal charge. It generally carries a fine and a temporary driver’s license suspension. Depending on a driver’s blood alcohol level, a first offense can also come with participation in a sobriety program.
Romo is scheduled to appear in court on September 21, 2026. Because the case is still pending, no penalties have been determined.
A major broadcast shake up
The timing could hardly be more significant for CBS. Romo sits at the center of the network’s NFL coverage under a reported 10 year, $180 million contract, one of the richest deals in sports broadcasting. His leave arrives just weeks before the start of the new NFL season, forcing the network into a sudden reshuffle at the top of its lineup.
Enter J.J. Watt. The three time NFL Defensive Player of the Year joined CBS as a studio analyst after retiring from the field in 2022, then moved into live game coverage in the network’s No. 2 booth. That position placed him directly behind Romo in the pecking order and made him the natural choice when the lead seat unexpectedly opened.
Watt’s background also offers a different flavor in the booth. Where Romo built his reputation by predicting offensive plays and reading quarterbacks in real time, Watt brings the perspective of a dominant defensive lineman, which could reshape how CBS calls its biggest games this season.
Romo’s rise at CBS
Romo’s move into broadcasting was one of the more celebrated career pivots in recent memory. After spending his entire NFL playing career with the Dallas Cowboys, he retired in 2017 and immediately stepped into the lead analyst chair at CBS, replacing longtime broadcaster Phil Simms. He rose quickly, earning praise for his ability to anticipate plays before the snap, and became a fixture on the network’s marquee matchups next to Nantz.
That rapid ascent is exactly what makes the current situation so notable. For the first time since he joined the network, the seat next to Nantz will belong to someone else when the season opens.
What comes next
CBS has not said whether the change could become permanent, nor when Romo might return. The network indicated it will announce the rest of its NFL on CBS broadcast pairings at a later date.
For now, the story sits at the intersection of a pending legal case and one of the most valuable contracts in sports media. How it resolves, both in court and in the broadcast booth, will be one of the defining off field storylines heading into the new NFL season.
Times Square News will continue to follow this developing story.
