Jim Nantz says Tony Romo will be back in sports broadcasting, and he did not hedge. On Wednesday, Nantz said Romo will work again “unquestionably” after his departure from CBS, adding that he does not know whether that future would come in calling games or in the studio.
That is the first clear public window into where Romo might land next, and it comes just weeks after CBS and Tony Romo agreed to part ways on Oct. 2. The question now is not whether he can still get back on air, but what kind of job would fit a broadcaster whose profile was built over nine seasons beside Nantz in CBS’s top NFL booth.
Nantz made the case in plain language. He said Romo has “a lot of talent,” “a lot of people who like him,” and “a personality that, it’s different, and that’s a good thing.” He added that there will be “plenty of opportunity” for Romo because he has “game,” a shorthand for the kind of presence networks still value even after a public stumble.
Romo’s exit from CBS followed a drunk driving arrest in July in Wisconsin after he had played in a golf tournament. He was placed on leave about a week later, then said in a Sept. 1 statement that he had an “over-reliance on alcohol” and linked it to trying to fix his “dependance on pain medication” after multiple back surgeries. CBS later replaced him alongside Nantz with JJ Watt.
Nantz did not try to soften the arrest itself. He said “no one can defend” what happened, but also said he checked in “as a friend” to see how Romo was doing. He said he knows the support system Romo has at home and expects him to come through it, even as the broadcasting path ahead remains unsettled.
What Nantz left unanswered is the part that matters most for Romo’s next chapter. He may return to calling games, move into studio work, or surface in some other sports role, but the deal between CBS and Romo has already closed and the next one is still unwritten. For now, Nantz’s message was simple: Romo’s time in broadcasting is not over, even if the format changes.
