Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones
Jerry Jones Breaks Silence on Tony Romo's 'Some Mistakes' After CBS Exit 1
Jerry Jones addressed Tony Romo’s permanent exit from CBS Sports on Wednesday, five days after the network announced the split. CBS placed Romo on indefinite leave on July 31 after his arrest but did not announce a formal departure during the two-month gap.
At the time, CBS Sports President David Berson stated there was no timeline for a decision, leaving the door open for a potential return. J.J. Watt filled the lead analyst chair beside Jim Nantz in the interim. When the Dallas Cowboys owner spoke about his former quarterback, he admitted that Romo made some mistakes.
Cowboys’ Jerry Jones backs Tony Romo after mistakes
The broadcast shakeup initially began on July 31, when CBS placed Romo on indefinite leave following his operating while intoxicated (OWI) arrest in Wisconsin.
Feb 6, 2024; Las Vegas, NV, USA; CBS Sports play-by-play announcer Jim Nantz (left), analyst Tony Romo (center) and sideline reporter Tracy Wolfson at press conference at the Super Bowl 58 Media Center at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 6, 2024; Las Vegas, NV, USA; CBS Sports play-by-play announcer Jim Nantz (left), analyst Tony Romo (center) and sideline reporter Tracy Wolfson at press conference at the Super Bowl 58 Media Center at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Following his no-contest court plea on Sept. 1, Romo released a candid public statement about his health battle. He revealed that multiple football-related back surgeries had left him with chronic, debilitating pain, causing a dependency on pain medication.
Recognizing the need for a clean break, CBS Sports and Romo officially announced on Friday, Oct. 2, that they had “mutually agreed to part ways,” leaving Watt in the lead booth permanently. When asked about the situation during his weekly interview on 105.3 The Fan, the 83-year-old Cowboys owner refused to talk about the negative details.
He said, “I love him and I’m sorry that this has evolved this way this year because I enjoyed him so much in what he could bring to the NFL and frankly I was proud of him as a former Cowboy. Having said all of that, he’s just getting started. He’s really is. I say that with all sincerity. He’s just getting started and he certainly has made some mistakes, and I can’t look in my mirror without seeing what can happen when you experience mistakes… I don’t know of anyone, period, that has a better future for Tony Romo.”
Jones originally signed Romo as an undrafted free agent out of Eastern Illinois University in 2003. Romo served as the starting quarterback for Dallas from 2006 to 2014, throwing for 34,183 yards, 248 touchdowns, and 117 interceptions. He went 2-4 in the postseason and never advanced past the divisional round. After he transitioned to the media, he and Jim Nantz called three Super Bowls during his nine seasons as CBS’s premier analyst.
Sources indicate that Romo’s new financial settlement leaves him contractually free to pursue other NFL broadcasting opportunities. While longtime Dallas insider Mike Fisher recently floated the idea of the Cowboys bringing Romo back into the organization as a front-office advisor, neither Romo nor the team has addressed the speculation.
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