CBS NFL analyst and former Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo has pleaded no contest to a charge of operating while intoxicated and has issued a statement apologizing for the actions that led to his July arrest.
Romo was arrested July 23 following a traffic stop as he was driving south on Interstate 43 in Wisconsin. CBS has since placed him on leave from his role as its lead NFL analyst.
According to Milwaukee County court records, Romo lost his driving privileges for six months and was ordered to complete an alcohol assessment program.
Romo also owes $834. An interlock device must be installed on any vehicle owned or operated by Romo or registered to his name, and that order will remain in effect for at least one year after he is issued a license.
“The past month has been difficult, but it has also been personally significant,” Romo said in a statement on Instagram. “It has required me to confront and own my mistakes fully — to the Lord, to myself, to my family and now to the public.”
Romo said the multiple back surgeries that led to his retirement as a player “left me with constant, debilitating pain.” He noted that the pain “led to a dependence on pain medication, and my efforts to get off those medications led to an over-reliance on alcohol.”
“None of this is an excuse,” Romo said. “These are my failures and I take responsibility for them.”
Romo said he is working with a team of doctors to address my health and “make the necessary changes.” He thanked his family, friends and the NFL community for their support.
“As I turn my attention to my health, my family, and, in time, my return to CBS, I kindly ask for privacy during this period,” Romo said.
Romo also initially had received citations for possessing open intoxicants in a motor vehicle, unsafe passing on the right and refusal to take a test for intoxication after arrest. Those citations have all been dismissed.
CBS Sports president David Berson said last month that he does not have a timeline for a decision about Romo’s future with the network.
Romo, 46, has been the lead game analyst for CBS’ NFL coverage since 2017 after making four Pro Bowl appearances during a playing career that ran from 2004-16 and was spent entirely with Dallas.
Analyst JJ Watt will join play-by-play announcer Jim Nantz and sideline reporter Tracy Wolfson on CBS Sports’ lead NFL team during Romo’s absence. Their first game will be on Sept. 13, when the Minnesota Vikings host the Green Bay Packers.
Citations released by the Milwaukee County Sheriff’s Office indicated that Romo performed poorly on field sobriety tests and that an open bottle of an alcoholic beverage was found in the passenger’s side of his black Jeep during an inventory before it was towed.
Body camera footage showed Romo telling deputies he had been coming from a golf course and was on his way “to visit grandma and grandpa” when he was stopped. A deputy told Romo he suspected him of being impaired because he had “red glassy eyes” and an “odor of an intoxicating alcoholic beverage.”
Romo went to high school about 35 miles southwest of Milwaukee in Burlington, Wisconsin.
He remains the Cowboys’ franchise leader in career touchdown passes with 248. He held the franchise record for career passing yards (34,183) until Dak Prescott overtook him last season.
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FILE - CBS broadcaster Tony Romo, left, calls the game during the second half of a NFL football wild card playoff game between the Buffalo Bills and the Denver Broncos in Orchard Park, N.Y., Jan. 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Adrian Kraus, File)
Stocks fell Tuesday and oil prices continued to climb following another round of U.S. military strikes on Iran, stoking worries about stubbornly high inflation.
The S&P 500 index fell 0.7%. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 456 points, or 0.9%, as of 1:26 p.m. Eastern time. The Nasdaq composite fell 1%.
The weak start to September follows a shaky but mostly positive month for Wall Street. Every major index notched monthly gains in August. The same worries continue to hang over Wall Street, though, including anxiety over rising prices, government debt, and the impact of global conflicts on the U.S. and the global economy.
Technology stocks were among the heaviest weights on the market. Microsoft fell 1.3% and Advanced Micro Devices fell 3%. Their big market values tend to give them more influence over the broader market’s direction and their growth amid the artificial-intelligence boom has been heavily reliant on borrowing, which becomes more expensive as interest rates rise.
Much of the continued pressure being felt by Wall Street is coming from an ongoing sell-off in U.S. government bonds. The yield on the 10-year Treasury, which tends to impact mortgage rates, rose to 4.79% from 4.75% late Monday. It was as low as 4.20% at the beginning of 2026
The yield on the 2-year Treasury, which closely tracks expectations for Federal Reserve moves on interest rates, rose to 4.38% from 4.34% late Monday. That’s up significantly from about 3.50% at the beginning of 2026.
Bond yields have an inverse relationship to prices, and yields rise as prices fall. Rising yields signal that investors are demanding a higher return from Treasurys because they are becoming riskier. Growing government debt is highlighting that risk.
The U.S. debt surpassed $40 trillion two weeks ago, a shocking milestone as defense costs and interest on the burgeoning deficit make up an enormous share of federal spending. The bond sell-off is global, with other nations facing the same economic pressures.
Higher yields on bonds signal higher borrowing costs on mortgages and a wide range of other loans. Higher borrowing costs tend to weigh down investments, including stocks, while making it more difficult for businesses to expand.
Oil prices have been behind much of the pressure on inflation, bond yields and the broader stock market. The price of Brent crude, the international standard, rose 3.9% to $94. Energy costs remain high and volatile amid the ongoing U.S. war with Iran, which has essentially shut down the Strait of Hormuz, through which 20% of the world’s oil is typically shipped.
Higher oil prices have pushed up costs for everything from gasoline to shipped goods, fueling inflation that has been squeezing households and businesses. Higher inflation has also been a problem for the Fed, which is aiming to bring inflation down to a 2% rate.
The rate of inflation is well above 3%, and Wall Street expects the Fed to raise interest rates before the year is over in order to ease the rate of price increases. Investors are betting on a 66% chance that the central bank will raise its interest rate at its upcoming September meeting, according to CME FedWatch.
The Fed will get more updates on inflation ahead of the meeting. Meanwhile, it is getting updates on the jobs market this week. On Tuesday, the government reported that U.S. job openings rose slightly in July. A broader monthly report for August will be released on Friday.
Markets in Europe fell and markets in Asia were mixed.
AP Business Writers, Elaine Kurtenbach, Michelle Chapman and Matt Ott contributed to this report.
Options trader Anthony Spina works on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange, Thursday, Aug. 27, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)
Options trader Anthony Spina works on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange, Thursday, Aug. 27, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)
A person walks in front of an electronic stock board showing Japan's Nikkei index at a securities firm Monday, Aug. 31, 2026, in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
Currency traders watch monitors near a screen showing the Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) and the foreign exchange rate between U.S. dollar and South Korean won at the foreign exchange dealing room of the Hana Bank headquarters in Seoul, South Korea, Tuesday, Sept. 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)
Currency traders watch monitors at the foreign exchange dealing room of the Hana Bank headquarters in Seoul, South Korea, Tuesday, Sept. 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)
A person walks in front of an electronic stock board showing Japan's Nikkei index at a securities firm Monday, Aug. 31, 2026, in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
