CBS Sports, Tony Romo Break Up Following Pre-Season Intoxication Incident
CBS Sports kicked off a massive industry spending spree when it lured former Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo to its NFL booth in 2017. Now the sports outlet is likely to tamp down on costs by parting ways with the celebrated color commentator.
“CBS Sports and Tony Romo have mutually agreed to part ways. We thank Tony for his contributions over the past nine years and wish him the best moving forward,” the company said in a statement Friday. JJ Watt, who has filled in for Romo so far this season, will continue to do so alongside regulars Jim Nantz and Tracy Wolfson.
Romo in September pleaded no contest to a charge of operating while intoxicated stemming from an incident that took place in Milwaukee in July, and expressed hope that he’d be able to resume his NFL duties for the Paramount Skydance broadcast network. CBS Sports placed the former Dallas Cowboys quarterback on leave after he was arrested following a traffic stop made on Interstate 43 in Wisconsin.On Friday, the announcer said he would “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.” He expressed pride in “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’s departure from CBS Sports may raise more questions than it answers. His exit opens a prime position during the network’s NFL season at a time when that sports has become even more critical to the fortunes of the company soon to be known as Skydance — the parent company formed from the merger of Paramount and Warner Bros. Discovery. The merged company will carry billions in debt, which could crimp its ability to spend heavily on new talent.
TV-sports outlets have been pouring out money to lure top NFL announcers, with Fox and Disney shelling out top dollar to lure, respectively, Tom Brady and Troy Aikman and Joe Buck. Many top announcers’ contracts are expected to lapse after the end of this season, including not only Aikman’s, but Greg Olsen at Fox, and Al Michaels at Amazon. The Athletic has reported that ESPN has secured Buck to a new deal and that Amazon has signed Kirk Herbstreit, who also calls college game at ESPN, to provisional terms. ESPN and Amazon declined to comment on the status of those announcers’ deals.
TV networks rushed to line up top talent to call games after the NFL struck a pivotal 11-year rights deal in 2021. At the time, the thought from many TV sports chiefs was that they had to spend money to make money. Tony Romo carved out new terrain at CBS Sports after revealing a knack for predicting game play — all but forcing CBS to re-sign the former Dallas Cowboys quarterback to a multi-season pact in 2020 valued at around $17 million a year.
Since that time, most of CBS’ contemporaries have followed suit. When ESPN signed former Fox Sports mainstays Buck and Aikman to deals in 2022 to call “Monday Night Football,” it was seen as a critical move that would help the Disney-backed sports-media giant soothe what had become a troubled relationship with the NFL. Amazon lured NBC Sports’ Al Michaels and ESPN’s Herbstreit to serve as the voices for “Thursday Night Football.” And Fox secured the services of none other than Brady, a move that crowded out sportscaster Olsen.
People familiar with the market estimate top football-booth personnel can earn between $15 million and $20 million per season.
CBS Sports may have other talent issues to juggle in weeks to come. Ian Eagle, an up and comer who calls secondary NFL games for CBS Sports, is also believed to have a contract that is set to lapse. He also calls NBA games for Amazon’s Prime Video.
Romo previously cited multiple back surgeries that spurred his retirement from the NFL as a factor in the recent incident, noting they “left me with constant, debilitating pain” which “led to a dependence on pain medication, and my efforts to get off those medications led to an over-reliance on alcohol.”
“None of this is an excuse,” Romo said. “These are my failures and I take responsibility for them.”
More to come….
“CBS Sports and Tony Romo have mutually agreed to part ways. We thank Tony for his contributions over the past nine years and wish him the best moving forward,” the company said in a statement Friday. JJ Watt, who has filled in for Romo so far this season, will continue to do so alongside regulars Jim Nantz and Tracy Wolfson.
Romo in September pleaded no contest to a charge of operating while intoxicated stemming from an incident that took place in Milwaukee in July, and expressed hope that he’d be able to resume his NFL duties for the Paramount Skydance broadcast network. CBS Sports placed the former Dallas Cowboys quarterback on leave after he was arrested following a traffic stop made on Interstate 43 in Wisconsin.On Friday, the announcer said he would “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.” He expressed pride in “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’s departure from CBS Sports may raise more questions than it answers. His exit opens a prime position during the network’s NFL season at a time when that sports has become even more critical to the fortunes of the company soon to be known as Skydance — the parent company formed from the merger of Paramount and Warner Bros. Discovery. The merged company will carry billions in debt, which could crimp its ability to spend heavily on new talent.
TV-sports outlets have been pouring out money to lure top NFL announcers, with Fox and Disney shelling out top dollar to lure, respectively, Tom Brady and Troy Aikman and Joe Buck. Many top announcers’ contracts are expected to lapse after the end of this season, including not only Aikman’s, but Greg Olsen at Fox, and Al Michaels at Amazon. The Athletic has reported that ESPN has secured Buck to a new deal and that Amazon has signed Kirk Herbstreit, who also calls college game at ESPN, to provisional terms. ESPN and Amazon declined to comment on the status of those announcers’ deals.
TV networks rushed to line up top talent to call games after the NFL struck a pivotal 11-year rights deal in 2021. At the time, the thought from many TV sports chiefs was that they had to spend money to make money. Tony Romo carved out new terrain at CBS Sports after revealing a knack for predicting game play — all but forcing CBS to re-sign the former Dallas Cowboys quarterback to a multi-season pact in 2020 valued at around $17 million a year.
Since that time, most of CBS’ contemporaries have followed suit. When ESPN signed former Fox Sports mainstays Buck and Aikman to deals in 2022 to call “Monday Night Football,” it was seen as a critical move that would help the Disney-backed sports-media giant soothe what had become a troubled relationship with the NFL. Amazon lured NBC Sports’ Al Michaels and ESPN’s Herbstreit to serve as the voices for “Thursday Night Football.” And Fox secured the services of none other than Brady, a move that crowded out sportscaster Olsen.
People familiar with the market estimate top football-booth personnel can earn between $15 million and $20 million per season.
CBS Sports may have other talent issues to juggle in weeks to come. Ian Eagle, an up and comer who calls secondary NFL games for CBS Sports, is also believed to have a contract that is set to lapse. He also calls NBA games for Amazon’s Prime Video.
Romo previously cited multiple back surgeries that spurred his retirement from the NFL as a factor in the recent incident, noting they “left me with constant, debilitating pain” which “led to a dependence on pain medication, and my efforts to get off those medications led to an over-reliance on alcohol.”
“None of this is an excuse,” Romo said. “These are my failures and I take responsibility for them.”
More to come….