CBS Sports has placed lead NFL analyst Tony Romo on leave following his arrest last week in Milwaukee, Wis. on suspicion of driving under the influence, the network confirmed Friday.
“Tony Romo is on leave from his role at CBS Sports until further notice,” a CBS Sports spokesperson said in a statement.
The network also announced that J.J. Watt will join primary play-by-play announcer Jim Nantz and sideline reporter Tracy Wolfson on its lead NFL on CBS broadcast team during Romo’s absence. CBS said it will announce the remainder of its NFL broadcast roster at a later date.
The move comes less than six weeks before the start of the 2026 NFL season, forcing a change atop CBS Sports’ No. 1 NFL broadcast team. Romo has anchored the network’s lead booth alongside Nantz since joining CBS in 2017 following his retirement from the Dallas Cowboys, succeeding longtime analyst Phil Simms. He has since become one of the highest-profile voices in all of sports television.
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According to local authorities, Romo was arrested July 23 by the Milwaukee County Sheriff’s Office after deputies stopped his vehicle on Interstate 43. He was cited on suspicion of operating while intoxicated, as well as for an open-container violation and unsafe passing. Under Wisconsin law, a first-offense OWI is generally treated as a civil offense rather than a criminal charge.
CBS declined to comment publicly when news of Romo’s arrest first surfaced last week. Friday’s announcement marked the network’s first official response to the incident and outlined its plan for the lead broadcast team heading into the season.
Watt joined CBS Sports in 2023 as a studio analyst on “The NFL Today” after retiring from the NFL. He will now move into the network’s lead game booth alongside Nantz and Wolfson while Romo remains on leave.
CBS did not say whether Watt’s assignment will extend beyond the opening weeks of the season. The network said it will announce the remainder of its NFL broadcast lineup at a later date.
