CBS Sports chair Sean McManus responds to Tony Romo criticism

Criticism of CBS Sports color commentator Tony Romo reached a fever pitch when a report suggested the network had an intervention with the former Dallas Cowboys quarterback. In response to that report, CBS suggested that it was a “mischaracterization” of events that took place. Now, CBS Sports chair Sean McManus issued an official response to the criticism.

McManus appeared on Chris “Mad Dog” Russo’s show, Mad Dog Unleashed. Via Sports Illustrated, McManus defended Romo and said many issued praise for Romo to his face.

“An enormous amount of people have come up to me who have said to me, ‘We really like Tony Romo,’” McManus told Chris “Mad Dog Russo. “He’s different. He’s not your typical analyst. He is enthusiastic. He sometimes speaks more of a fan than even an analyst, which I think people like. So I think this is being overplayed.

Social media, as you know, tends to be very vitriolic and unkind and it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. And then when the mainstream media watches social media, they start ganging. … Can he get better? We can all get better.”

McManus seemed to suggest the idea that it was anything but a normal meeting was ridiculous. He said, “The thought that there is some kind of story behind the fact that I sat down with Tony to talk about how he can get better is just inaccurate.”

McManus is certainly in the right to defend his and CBS Sports’ asset in Romo. Though they aren’t denying that a meeting took place, it seems like somebody might have thought this was a ‘juicer’ scoop than it was in reality. Romo signed a long-term deal with the network. It wouldn’t be unheard of, necessarily, if they were to cut bait. But that doesn’t appear to be their endgame here.

Nevertheless, criticism of Tony Romo probably won’t be going away. But if anything’s clear right now, CBS Sports is behind their guy.

[Sports Illustrated]