CBS Sports President: ‘No timetable’ on Tony Romo decision, we’re ‘still assessing’

The big question coming into CBS’s NFL Media Day is what they’d have to say about high-priced analyst Tony Romo, who is currently on indefinite leave following his arrest for OWI.

As expected, CBS Sports President David Berson kept things brief and to the point.

“I know there’s one topic that’s been in the news a lot lately. I know it’s on people’s minds here, so I’m gonna hit that right out of the gate, and that has to do with Tony Romo being on leave until further notice,” Berson told the audience at the network’s event in Manhattan on Tuesday. “I hope you can respect and appreciate that this is a personnel matter and a legal one for Tony, so I can’t speak to that aspect of things. What I can say is it’s an evolving situation, and therefore we’re still assessing.

“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’s very important that our team, the many, many hundreds of people who work on the NFL on CBS, have certainty and direction so we can definitively plan and focus on the production and marketing as we kick off the season. In making this decision, we had to consider the impact on our image and on 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, and I’m really proud of the way everyone’s stepping up and responding. As you know, J.J. [Watt] will join Jim [Nantz] and Tracy [Wolfson] as our lead team in Tony’s absence. They’re already knee-deep in planning, and I have every confidence they’ll be great.

“Beyond that, there’s not, there’s not much more I could say on this topic. Again, I hope you can appreciate and respect that. It’s not an easy pivot from that to move on, but I’m going to do that right now and focus fully on the NFL and CBS in our upcoming season.”

Romo was placed on leave by CBS after video of his arrest and failed sobriety test in Wisconsin last month went public via TMZ. Since then, there has been ample speculation that the network might cut ties with the former golden boy of NFL broadcasting, who is still owed about $72 million under his contract. A morals clause in the agreement could be their way out, though some form of settlement would likely be required.

Berson’s statement was brief but didn’t exactly convey that CBS stands behind Romo. That aligns with what many leading industry experts have said about the company’s desire to move on from him. But as the exec noted, they’re still “assessing.”