Tony Romo placed on leave by CBS after OWI charge; J.J. Watt to take his place

Tony Romo was placed on leave by CBS Sports “until further notice” on Friday, eight days after he was arrested on suspicion of operating a vehicle while intoxicated (OWI) in Milwaukee.

In Romo’s place, J.J. Watt will join Jim Nantz and Tracy Wolfson on CBS Sports’ lead NFL team, CBS said in a statement.

An arrest report obtained by The Athletic states that Romo performed poorly on standardized field sobriety tests after he was pulled over for unsafe passing and therefore was taken into custody on July 23. The former Dallas Cowboys quarterback was also found with an “open bottle of an alcoholic beverage” in his car, according to documents obtained from the Milwaukee County Sheriff’s Office.

Romo has a court hearing scheduled for Sept. 21, but he is not required to appear. The 2026 NFL season begins with the preseason Hall of Fame Game on Thursday, and CBS’ first regular-season broadcasts will come Sept. 13 in Week 1.

The 46-year-old Romo retired from the NFL after the 2016 season and joined CBS as the lead color commentator in the booth next to play-by-play announcer Nantz.

Watt, 37, joined CBS following his retirement after the 2022 season. His broadcast career began as a studio analyst on “The NFL Today” before he joined Ian Eagle on CBS’ No. 2 team in 2025. He made his game broadcast debut alongside Eagle on Christmas Day 2024 as part of Netflix’s debut NFL broadcast.