CBS Sports has permanently split with analyst Tony Romo, who has been on leave since his arrest in Wisconsin in July for driving drunk.
In a statement Friday, CBS said the decision was mutual and that “we thank Tony for his contributions over the past nine years and wish him the best moving forward,” according to ESPN.
In his own statement, Romo, who joined the network following his retirement from quarterbacking the Dallas Cowboys, said, “I’m proud of what I accomplished at CBS Sports over the last nine years. … I’m going to 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.”
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CBS put Romo on indefinite leave in August, according to USA Today. At the time, CBS Sports President David Berson said that “we have to consider the impact on our image and on our brand.”
During the first three weeks of this NFL season, former Houston Texans defensive end J.J. Watt worked as color analyst alongside Jim Nantz, the top play-by-play broadcaster at CBS.
The network said that the reshuffled broadcast teams created after Romo was put on leave will remain in place throughout the rest of the season, according to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
Romo was arrested during a traffic stop on Interstate 43 in Milwaukee on July 23. He pleaded no contest last month to a charge of operating while intoxicated.
As part of his sentencing, Romo lost driving privileges for six months and will have to complete an alcohol assessment program, put an interlock device in his car and pay $834, according to The Associated Press.
Additional citations against Romo, including having open intoxicants in a vehicle, refusing to take a sobriety test after an arrest and unsafe passing on the right, were dismissed, according to AP.
At the time of his no-contest plea, Romo said in a statement on social media that he developed a dependency on alcohol as part of trying to reduce his dependency on painkillers, which he began using following the back injuries and surgeries that ended his NFL career.
Romo’s contract with CBS covered 10 years for $180 million. It started in 2020 and had $72 million left as of this year.
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