Morals clause in Tony Romo’s contract could be CBS’s way out

Back in 2020, CBS Sports signed Tony Romo to a 10-year, $180 million contract, locking in the prognosticating commentator for the foreseeable future.

At the time, you couldn’t imagine there would come a day when they’d want to extricate themselves from that arrangement.

How times have changed, Jim.

Romo’s OWI arrest in Milwaukee last week wasn’t good, but there was an initial sense that it would be the kind of thing that blows over in a day or two. However, by the time body camera footage of the stop and field sobriety test surfaced on TMZ and a report placed an open alcoholic beverage inside the vehicle he’d been operating, the narrative had shifted enough for CBS to break its silence and place him on leave “until further notice.”

There’s a larger context at play here. Once the golden boy of NFL color commentary, Romo has seen his shine come off in recent years. Audiences soured on his style, overexuberance, strange noises, and weird turns of phrase. He went from being the smartest guy in your fantasy football league to the awkward weirdo that no one remembers inviting to the party.

Does someone want to check on Tony Romo???

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— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing.bsky.social) November 2, 2025 at 1:56 PM

As the criticism started to mount, even from notable media names, there was conjecture around whether CBS was starting to regrets that massive contract. In 2023, Andrew Marchand reported that CBS had an “intervention” with the former quarterback. CBS disputed this label, but then-CBS Sports chair Sean McManus later acknowledged he did offer Romo feedback for improvement.

Afterward, Romo was subdued during his Super Bowl call, which seemed to quell backlash for a time. Criticism came and went over the next few years, as well as concerns over his chemistry with Jim Nantz, who continued to defend his broadcasting partner.

“In games like this, the ball matters more than any game.”

– Tony Romo. https://t.co/mfzwC4ceJZ pic.twitter.com/wyfxiTUwiA

— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) January 28, 2024

All of which brings us back to today. Up until now, CBS has seemed content to weather Romo’s awkwardness and regression, especially given how financial tied they are to him. However, the former Dallas Cowboys star has given the network an opportunity, if they want it, to consider cutting their losses and moving on much earlier than anticipated.

As The Athletic’s Andrew Marchand notes, Romo’s deal includes a morals clause (as all major talent contracts do), “one that networks can challenge if a star is unable to represent their brand in a positive fashion after a public embarrassment.”

There’s no doubt that CBS’s lawyers could make this OWI incident count if they wanted to. It’d be one thing if this happened in 1987 where it’d get lost in the news cycle by the time Week 1 of the season got here. It’s another thing for it to happen in 2026, where the video of Romo’s arrest and sobriety test have already become memes. Now, as Marchand notes, every time Romo says something odd or makes a strange noise, social media platforms will be flooded with GIFs and images from those videos. It’s going to follow him, and CBS, around for the forseeable future. It sounds silly, but it’s the kind of headache that a company with an itchy trigger finger doesn’t need to deal with.

There’s no doubt Romo’s team would fight CBS on ending the deal, and he’d probably make out just fine in some kind of settlement talk (he’s owed around $72 million still). But it might be worth it to them to figure out an exit strategy. That’s especially true if temporary replacement and rising star J.J. Watt ends up building rapport with Nantz in Romo’s absence.

Maybe they cut Romo loose, maybe they try to redeem him. We’ll find out soon enough.