Legendary former NFL quarterback Tony Romo was arrested Thursday night for operating a vehicle while under the influence of alcohol.
According to TMZ, he “was pulled over on a high-rise bridge” in Milwaukee “while going southbound on I-43.” He was placed into custody after he failed a couple of sobriety tests.
During his mugshot, he smiled in a very drunken manner:
BREAKING: Former Dallas Cowboys quarterback and NFL on CBS announcer Tony Romo has been arrested in Milwaukee on suspicion of operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated.
Romo was stopped while driving across a bridge, according to the Milwaukee County Sheriff’s Office.
Romo… pic.twitter.com/Hp4Yby3nfc
— Fox News (@FoxNews) July 24, 2026
Prior to his 2017 retirement from the NFL, he had a long, storied history as a football legend.
“Romo played for the Cowboys from 2003 to 2016, passing to score 248 touchdowns in his career,” according to the U.K. Sun. “Romo threw for 34,183 yards, 117 interceptions, completing 65.3 per cent of his passes.”
He was also “named to the Pro Bowl four times and finished tied for third in the MVP vote in 2014 behind Aaron Rodgers and JJ Watt.”
Terrell Owens is one of the best wide receivers of all time
Here’s every Tony Romo x Terrell Owens touchdown pic.twitter.com/A5p9SP0vLs
— DakMuse (@DakMuse4) May 22, 2026
After retiring, he joined CBS Sports as a color commentator in 2017. He later signed a major multi-year extension with CBS Sports in 2020. The contract will keep him as a top analyst/commentator until at least 2030.
Romo reportedly specifically works as the lead game analyst for CBS’s NFL coverage, which is paired with play-by-play announcer Jim Nantz.
His tenure at CBS Sports has been marked by some controversy, including the time he accidentally dropped the f-bomb live on air in 2018:
99% sure Romo said “pretend fuck … uh pump fake” because he combined the words pump and fake at first and I’m laughing because I’m 12
— Jeanna Kelley (@jeannathomas) October 14, 2018
Pretend what, Tony? @BarstoolBigCat pic.twitter.com/hgDuKa7s0b
— Rishi (@Rishibets) October 14, 2018
Years later in 2023, he jokingly or “accidentally” referred to singer Taylor Swift as NFL player Travis Kelce’s “wife.” This was before the pair had even announced their engagement.
Listen below:
“And his wife loves it, I mean, girlfriend.” – Tony Romo on Taylor Swift applauding a Travis Kelce catch.
“You’ve been down that road with that before.” – Jim Nantz. pic.twitter.com/oQJS8cBF97
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) December 25, 2023
The following year, The New York Times attacked him for acting like “a TV analyst looking for a game manager instead of a game changer.”
“On the final call to end the Super Bowl LVIII overtime classic between the Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers, Romo and play-by-play partner Jim Nantz’s lack of teamwork showed up at the worst time,” the paper opined.
“At first, Romo did a fine job with the Chiefs down three points and inside the 5-yard line late in overtime, explaining that it did not matter as viewers watched the clock wind down toward zero — the game would not end and would just roll into a second quarter of OT. But Romo kept talking too long. This blocked Nantz from properly setting up the final play,” the opinion continued.
In the past few years, meanwhile, he’s faced heavy backlash, including for a Bills-Jaguars game that included a confusing opening monologue mixing up underdog/overdog status, strange noises, pointing out the obvious (repeatedly noting that the winner would have a chance at the Super Bowl), missing or downplaying key moments, and later calling Josh Allen “Mahomes” during a Bills-Broncos game.
I think Tony Romo just called Josh Allen “mahomes” pic.twitter.com/8DHr65TK7W
— PFT Commenter (@PFTCommenter) January 17, 2026
Romo tried attributing some of his bad commentary to being sick. Fans and media outlets, including Awful Announcing and The Athletic’s Andrew Marchand, have called for changes or an “intervention,” with some describing his commentary as muddled, over-talkative, or lacking preparation.
However, Romo always took the criticism in stride.
Listen:
“The criticism comes with the territory..
I’m always gonna be myself and it’s all part of the process” ~ @tonyromo #PMSLive pic.twitter.com/bUz88FaGmy
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) January 27, 2026
Writers and editors can be contacted at [email protected] with feedback, tips, or corrections.
V. Saxena is a staff writer with a decade of experience as a professional writer, and a lifetime of experience as an avid news junkie. He holds a degree in computer technology from Purdue University. Saxena also contributes to BizPac Review.
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