CBS offered no comment following Tony Romo’s surprise statement

Tony Romo broke his silence Tuesday over the OWI arrest in July that led to CBS putting him on indefinite leave shortly thereafter.

Romo posted a statement on Instagram around 11:00 a.m., saying that he pleaded no contest to a civil offense and took full responsibility for his actions. He also shared his personal struggles and admitted to abusing alcohol after trying to get off pain medication following injuries from his NFL career. He also added that he is looking forward to eventually returning to CBS.

“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,” he wrote.

That last part is notable, as there has been much speculation in sports media circles that Romo’s days with CBS Sports are numbered. After putting him on leave, CBS named J.J. Watt as his replacement to work alongside Jim Nantz in the network’s top NFL booth. Rumors and reports swirled over CBS management’s desire to get out of Romo’s massive contract amid his fading broadcasting work, with some pointing to a morals clause as a way to do it. It became widely presumed that Romo wouldn’t be able to get his old gig back, with multiple insiders saying CBS wanted out of the Romo business, and few in the industry expected him to return.

All of which leads us to the fact that, hours later, no one at CBS itself nor any person affiliated with CBS has said anything regarding Romo’s statement.

In fact, if you look at Romo’s Instagram post, while Fox NFL announcer Tom Brady offered his support in the comments, none of his colleagues from CBS Sports have (as far as we can surmise).

Puck’s John Ourand reached out to CBS to get their thoughts on Romo’s potential return. Their response? No comment, and they pointed to their initial statement from when they announced his indefinite leave.

Oh boy.

What can we infer from all this? One, Romo does not appear to have coordinated with CBS on his statement. Two, if that’s the case, his saying that he intends to return to CBS is a message. Three, it does not appear that CBS shares his enthusiasm over that intention.

For his part, Romo has made a strong move, admitting fault, taking responsibility, and asking for forgiveness. That’s going to win him some points in the court of public opinion. However, there’s only so far that takes you when your employer is on the hook for $18 million per year, and the quality of your work was already causing headaches.

He may also have been trying to get ahead of further unsavory news.

Romo’s court date is currently scheduled for Sept. 21. We’ll see how both he and CBS attempt to navigate this cold war until then.