CBS Sports placed lead NFL analyst Tony Romo on leave on July 31 after his arrest for suspected driving under the influence.
The move removes one of the highest-paid analysts in sports media from the network's top broadcast team just weeks before the NFL season begins.
CBS Sports said "Tony Romo is on leave from his role at CBS Sports until further notice" [1]. The arrest occurred in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, during the week prior to the network's announcement [2, 3].
To fill the vacancy, the network announced that J.J. Watt will replace Romo as the lead NFL analyst indefinitely [1]. This transition occurs as the network prepares for its first NFL broadcast of the 2026 season, which is scheduled to begin in six weeks [4].
Financial details regarding the position highlight the scale of the role. Romo earns $18 million per year at CBS Sports [5].
Despite the immediate replacement of Romo on the lead team, the network has not yet finalized its full broadcast schedule for the upcoming year. CBS Sports said "CBS has not announced its lineups for the new season" [6].
No further details regarding the specific charges or the legal status of the case in Wisconsin have been released by the network.
“Tony Romo is on leave from his role at CBS Sports until further notice.”
The sudden removal of Romo creates a significant void in CBS's sports programming strategy. Replacing a lead analyst with a high-profile figure like J.J. Watt ensures continuity for viewers, but the timing—six weeks before the season—suggests the network is prioritizing a clean break to avoid the optics of a DUI-related controversy during its primary broadcast window.
