J.j. Watt To Fill In For Suspended Tony Romo In Cbs Sports’ Nfl Booth

A week after his arrest in Milwaukee on suspicion of operating a vehicle while intoxicated, Tony Romo has been placed on leave from his post at CBS Sports until further notice.

CBS’ lead NFL color commentator since 2017, Romo is being benched six weeks before he and play-by-play veteran Jim Nantz were set to kick off the network’s regular-season coverage in Minneapolis. No. 2  analyst J.J. Watt will fill in during Romo’s open-ended suspension.

Romo was detained on July 23 after being pulled over on I-43 for alleged traffic violations, whereupon he asked if he could speak to an attorney. That request was denied.

Body-cam footage revealed that Romo informed deputies he’d been on his way to “meet grandma and grandpa” after playing a round of golf. Upon exiting his vehicle, Romo remarked, “Because I’m coming from a golf course, you think I’m drunk?”

Following a 12-minute run of field sobriety tests, Romo refused to submit to a breathalyzer. “Oh, no: We’re not doing that,” Romo said. “I’ve heard from multiple lawyers, ‘Don’t ever do that.’ So, we’re not going to do that.” Shortly thereafter, he was arrested.

A court hearing is scheduled for Sept. 21, although Romo’s attendance is not required. In Wisconsin, a first-time OWI conviction is treated as a civil forfeiture rather than a crime. Including a $435 OWI surcharge, the maximum penalty for such an offense, if the defendant is convicted, is $735.

While CBS did not provide any additional information regarding Romo’s booth status, precedent suggests his misstep is not viewed as a termination-grade offense. In 2013, Al Michaels was arrested in Santa Monica, Calif., on suspicion of driving under the influence. He was charged with a misdemeanor offense and was released on his own recognizance.

Michaels went on to plead no contest to a reduced charge of reckless driving and was sentenced to 80 hours of community service. NBC’s lead play-by-play veteran did not miss any assignments during the 2013-14 NFL season.

TNT suspended Inside the NBA analyst Charles Barkley for six weeks after his arrest on DUI charges in December 2008. Barkley spent three days in jail and paid upwards of $2,000 in fines; since that time, he’s avoided any further legal entanglements.

Romo’s replacement is a rising star at CBS Sports. Last season, Watt was elevated to the network’s No. 2 NFL booth, just two years after having joined the team as a studio analyst. While it remains to be seen how long Watt will fill in for Romo (and who will take Watt’s place alongside Ian Eagle), CBS said it would provide further information about its 2026-27 NFL roster at a later date.

If nothing else, Romo’s suspension will allow him to avoid having to field questions during CBS’s annnual NFL media confab in New York. The all-hands preview of the upcoming season is set to take place on Aug. 11.

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