Police say Tony Romo had open alcoholic beverage in car during OWI arrest

A police officer found an “open bottle of an alcoholic beverage” in Tony Romo’s car when the lead CBS NFL analyst and former Dallas Cowboys quarterback was arrested last week, according to documents from the Milwaukee County Sheriff’s Office.

Romo received three citations, according to the police documents obtained by The Athletic, including for operating while intoxicated after he was arrested on suspicion of that offense on July 23. Romo was given a second citation after a deputy observed an open alcoholic beverage “on the passenger side of a vehicle when an inventory of the vehicle was conducted” because it was being towed.

Romo received a third citation for unsafe passing. Police allege that Romo drove on the right shoulder of Interstate 43 to pass other vehicles during rush-hour traffic. Authorities say Romo cut across a marked gore (the triangular neutral zone where a highway splits or merges) then continued using the right shoulder to pass traffic before police finally pulled him over.

An arrest report obtained by The Athletic states that Romo performed poorly on standardized field sobriety tests after he was pulled over and therefore was taken into custody. He was released shortly after, and a court hearing is scheduled for Sept. 21, according to the police documents. Romo is not required to appear at the hearing.

According to the police documents, Romo faces a $1,066 fine for the OWI offense, a $267 fine for the open intoxicants offense, and a $235.50 fine for the unsafe passing offense.

Romo grew up in Burlington, Wis., about 40 miles southwest of Milwaukee. He graduated from Burlington High and went on to play college football at Eastern Illinois. Romo signed with the Cowboys as an undrafted free agent in 2003 and took over the starting job in 2006. He is the franchise’s all-time leader in touchdown passes with 248.

He retired after the 2016 season and has been a part of CBS’s top broadcast team ever since.