Ryan Leaf questions Tony Romo’s ‘debilitating’ back pain: ‘Why are you out there playing golf?’

Tony Romo recently pleaded no contest and accepted responsibility for his OWI arrest, but Ryan Leaf had one issue with his statement.

After pleading no contest to a civil offense of operating while intoxicated in Wisconsin, Romo put out a statement admitting his “over-reliance on alcohol” while taking full responsibility for his actions before teasing his return to CBS, a return the network has not commented on as their lead NFL analyst remains on indefinite leave. But Romo also attributed his “over-reliance on alcohol” to his attempt at getting off a dependence on paid medication used to combat “debilitating pain” following multiple back surgeries during his NFL career.

Ryan Leaf, a former NFL quarterback who has been very open about being a recovering addict after a decade-long battle with an opiate addiction, joined The Dan Patrick Show Wednesday morning where he wished Romo wouldn’t have referenced back pain in his statement.

“I used to think football was the problem. No, it’s a me problem. Football was never the problem; football gave me everything. I had to figure it out,” Leaf told Patrick. “It’s why, with the Tony Romo statement we just saw, I thought it was a very good statement; I didn’t need the part about having ‘debilitating back pain.’ Take that whole paragraph out. You don’t need any of that. You chose to do this, and it’s cost you this, and you’re going to admit to it, and you’re going to find a way to get better.”

“I was reading it with my wife yesterday,” Leaf continued of Romo’s statement. “And I was just like, ‘Oh no.’ You don’t have to say that part. Everybody’s had surgeries. Everybody’s going through debilitating pain. I played on a golf tour with him; he was always out there on a golf tour playing. If you’re in such pain, why are you out there playing golf all the time? That’s not helping things.”

Romo was allegedly driving to his parents’ house from the Wisconsin Amateur Championship golf tournament when he was stopped on suspicion of OWI last month. The former NFL quarterback has long been associated with his love of golf, with some even questioning whether it was infringing on his preparation as a lead analyst.

In the statement meant to take responsibility for his actions, Romo claimed he was providing background on his debilitating back pain from his time in the NFL, not an excuse. But even with that background, some still questioned whether he was using it to deflect blame.