Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones has thrown his full and unapologetic support behind his former quarterback, Tony Romo, in the wake of his July arrest on suspicion of operating a vehicle while under the influence.
“Been talking to him,” Jones, 83, told Fox 4 Dallas-Fort Worth’s Mike Doocy on Saturday, August 1. “I love him. I love what he’s about. I love his love of sport. He’s a very, very unique talent.”
Jones continued, “The real question is, and I don’t even have to think what the answer is: ‘Do you think Tony Romo knows how to get up when he gets knocked down?’ He’s had a life of that. And absolutely, that’s one of his greatest attributes is that he can handle adversity. This is something that he will work through.”
Romo, 46, was arrested on July 23 in Milwaukee after participating in the Wisconsin Amateur Championship golf tournament earlier that day. In addition to the DUI charge, the color commentator received a citation for “refusing to take a test for intoxication after arrest,” according to court documents obtained by Us.
He was also issued citations for having an “open bottle of an alcoholic beverage” on the passenger’s side of his Jeep and for passing vehicles in a “gore area,” which separates interstate traffic from cars entering from an on-ramp.
Romo allegedly failed field sobriety tests, as shown in body cam footage obtained by Us, and was taken into custody. An officer told the former NFL star that she believed he was intoxicated due to his “red glassy eyes” and an “odor of an intoxicating alcoholic beverage.”
Romo played for the Cowboys his entire NFL career, from 2003 to 2016, and was named to the Pro Bowl four times.
“He is a unique talent. His vision was just mesmerizing when he was a player,” Jones said on Saturday. “But he sees things and can articulate it so instantly. He’d walk out under center at a practice and the defense would have 12 people out there and it would take him about a second to say, ‘Coach, we’ve got 12 guys out here, get one of them off.’ He just sees it and then he has that skill. It’s made him a great, great portrayal of the story of football games.”
After his arrest, Romo pulled out of his next scheduled golf tournament, the M&P Group Texas State Open in Tyler, Texas, held last week. He has a court date set for September 21.
The CBS NFL analyst has not commented publicly on his arrest. Us has reached out to his team for comment. CBS has since put him on leave.
“Tony Romo is on leave from his role at CBS Sports until further notice,” a CBS representative said in a statement to Us on Friday, July 31.
NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport reported later that day that JJ Watt would take Romo’s place on CBS and that the network would release its full roster of talent for the upcoming season at a later date.
