CBS Benches Tony Romo After DUI Arrest, Replacing $180 Million Analyst With JJ Watt
Updated
Updated · The Guardian · Aug 18
CBS Benches Tony Romo After DUI Arrest, Replacing $180 Million Analyst With JJ Watt
3 articles · Updated · The Guardian · Aug 18
Summary
JJ Watt will join Jim Nantz for CBS’s Sept. 13 Vikings-Packers opener after Tony Romo was placed on indefinite leave following his Wisconsin DUI arrest last month.
A 31-minute body-camera video released by TMZ showed Romo appearing disoriented, struggling with basic questions and failing a field sobriety test, intensifying scrutiny before his Sept. 21 court date.
CBS Sports president David Berson said there is “no timetable” for deciding Romo’s future, with the network weighing brand damage as much as the legal outcome.
Romo, 46, signed a 10-year, $180 million deal in 2020, but his leave comes amid criticism of declining on-air sharpness and speculation CBS could demote or cut him if Watt performs well.
The case lands as NFL broadcast stakes keep rising: CBS pays about $2.1 billion a year for rights, and its late Sunday games averaged 25.8 million viewers last season.