Jim Nantz says he has remained in contact with Tony Romo after his CBS Sports broadcast partner was arrested and put on leave “until further notice.”
Romo did not attend CBS Sports’ media day on Tuesday ahead of the new NFL season. During the event, network president David Berson said there is “no timetable or final decision” regarding Romo’s return to the booth.
The former Dallas Cowboys quarterback was arrested last month in Wisconsin following a golf tournament and charged with OWI after being stopped by police. Authorities later released bodycam video that showed Romo failing field sobriety tests.
Romo is scheduled to appear in court again on September 21, though he is not required to be there in person. In the meantime, CBS Sports has moved J.J. Watt into Romo’s spot alongside Nantz and sideline reporter Tracy Wolfson on its lead NFL broadcast team. Ross Tucker will step into Watt’s previous role with Ian Eagle on the network’s No. 2 crew.
Nantz, Watt, Eagle and Tucker were all on hand for CBS Sports media day, where questions about Romo’s status were unavoidable. Nantz said he first learned of the arrest while covering the PGA Tour’s 3M Open, according to Awful Announcing.
Asked whether CBS had kept him updated on the situation and the possibility of a replacement, Nantz said: “No, I really was just laying low. I had golf events to do and I knew they had a lot to, you know, look at, sort out.”
Jim Nantz has worked alongside Tony Romo since the former quarterback moved into the broadcast booth
Tony Romo was arrested on suspicion of OWI after a golf tournament in Wisconsin last month
‘But, you know, I made my mind up because we have this late flurry of golf events on the schedule. I was going to communicate with Tony, which we have, back-and-forth … I just kind of wanted to focus on what’s in front of me, and that’s what I’ve done.
‘Tony is a great friend of mine and has been for years. He and I go back to 2011 when he got married, I was invited to his wedding. So, this was not someone in 2017 when he entered the booth I was just getting to know for the first time.
‘So he’s a great friend, continues to be, always will be. I adore his family, his wife is awesome. They’re the ones that are on my mind right now. The contents of what we talked about, I’m just going to leave that private, and I think that’s the only way and the appropriate way for me to look at it.’
Recent events have a huge knock-on effect on Nantz and his preparations for the new season, his 23rd as CBS’ top play-by-play announcer. But he is impressed by Watt as Romo’s temporary replacement, calling him a ‘very, very talented communicator.
Nantz added: ‘When you win the Walter Payton Man of the Year Award, and you win the Sports Illustrated Sportsman of the Year Award, which impresses me way more than anything he’s done in his legendary first-ballot Hall of Fame football career, that tells you that the man knows about leadership and he knows how to not only lead people, he knows how to deliver a message.
‘This is something that comes naturally for him. Look at who he is, look at all that football stuff, just look at what he’s been recognized for off the field and the ability to put a headset on and break down a football play compared to being in the community and helping people during a crisis in your city and rolling up your sleeves and doing things and leading people to help make Houston better, maybe this is something that comes naturally for him. He can do that.’
Nantz and Watt will begin their assignment together in Minnesota for a divisional matchup in Week 1 between the Vikings and Packers. Beyond that, no decisions have been made on Romo’s future.
CBS Sports president Berson explained: ‘I hope you can respect and appreciate this is a personal matter, and a legal one for Tony. So I can’t speak to that aspect. But I can say this is an evolving situation. Therefore, we’re still assessing.
J.J. Watt has been promoted to Romo’s role as CBS Sports’ top analyst to start the season
There is currently ‘no timetable or final decision’ on Romo returning alongside Nantz
‘There’s no timetable or final decision at this time. Since it continues to evolve, and we’re on the eve of the season, I felt it was very important that our team, the many, many people who work on the NFL on CBS, have certainty and direction so we can definitively plan.
‘In making this decision, we had to consider the impact on our image and our brand. That’s very important to us. Whether the games, marketing, PR, social, the focus should be – and needs to be – on our presentation and this great product and not on any other factors.
‘Fortunately, we have a very deep bench. I’m very proud of the way everybody is stepping up and responding. As you know, J.J. will join Jim and Tracy as the lead team in Tony’s absence. They are already knee-deep in planning. I have every confidence they’ll be great.’
