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Tony Romo pleaded no contest to the civil offense of operating while intoxicated (OWI) on Tuesday, a charge connected to the CBS NFL analyst’s July 23 arrest in Wisconsin. In a statement posted on Instagram, Romo added that he over-relied on alcohol following his 14-year NFL career to help him stop using pain medication.
“I own this completely,” Romo, 46, wrote. “Multiple back surgeries ended my career earlier than I expected and left me with constant, debilitating pain. That pain led to a dependence on pain medication, and my efforts to get off those medications led to an over-reliance on alcohol.
“None of this is an excuse. These are my failures, and I take full responsibility for them,” the former Dallas Cowboys quarterback continued. “I am working closely with a team of doctors to address my health and make the necessary changes.”
In the statement, Romo said he was turning his attention to his health, family, and “in time, my return to CBS,” and asked for privacy.
Romo was pulled over by the Milwaukee County Sheriff’s Office in July. According to the arrest report obtained by The Athletic, he performed poorly on standardized field sobriety tests and was taken into custody on suspicion of OWI.
Romo was later served three separate charges connected to the incident. Two of those — for unsafe passing on the right side and for possessing open intoxicants — were dismissed, according to Wisconsin court records. According to police documents, Romo faces a $1,066 fine for the OWI offense.
CBS Sports placed Romo on leave eight days after his arrest and following the release of body cam footage from the incident in which Romo denied having any drinks. In August, CBS Sports president David Berson said there was “no timetable or final decision” regarding Romo’s future at the network. CBS had no comment following the release of Romo’s statement Tuesday.
Romo retired from the NFL after the 2016 season as the Cowboys’ career leader in touchdown passes with 248. The next season, he joined CBS as the lead color commentator in the booth with play-by-play announcer Jim Nantz.
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