00:00Tony Romo won't be calling NFL games for CBS, at least for now.
00:04The network announced on Friday that its longtime lead analyst has been placed on leave
00:08following his recent operating while intoxicated arrests in Wisconsin.
00:12And with the NFL season just weeks away, CBS has already made a major change to its number one broadcast
00:18team.
00:19When Tony Romo retired from the NFL in 2017, he quickly became one of the biggest stars in sports broadcasting.
00:25His ability to predict plays before they happened helped transform him into the face of CBS's NFL coverage alongside Jim
00:33Nance.
00:33Now, that future is suddenly uncertain.
00:36The network also announced that former Texans defensive star J.J. Watt will move from the studio into the lead
00:42game booth
00:43alongside Nance and Tracy Wolfson during Romo's absence.
00:47According to authorities, Romo was stopped on July 23rd after deputies observed unsafe passing
00:53on Interstate 43 near Milwaukee.
00:55He was cited on suspicion of operating while intoxicated, along with citations for an open container and unsafe passing.
01:02Officials also released body camera footage from the stop this week.
01:06Under Wisconsin law, a first offense OWI is generally handled as a civil offense rather than a criminal one.
01:12And Romo has a court appearance scheduled for September.
01:16For CBS, this is a significant decision.
01:19Rather than waiting for the legal process to play out, the network is making a proactive move before week one
01:24of the NFL season
01:26by temporarily handing its top analyst assignment to Watt.
01:30Since joining CBS, Watt has earned praise for his work as a studio analyst,
01:34and now he'll get one of the biggest opportunities in sports television,
01:38working alongside Nance on the network's number one NFL team.
01:41If he performs well, it could create an interesting conversation about CBS's broadcast future,
01:47regardless of when Romo returns.
01:49As for the former Cowboys QB, CBS has not said how long his leave will last,
01:54only that he's away from the network until further notice.
01:58With the regular season approaching, this is a story that will continue to develop.
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