Open bottle of alcohol found in Tony Romo’s vehicle at the time of his OWI arrest, authorities say
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- Former Dallas Cowboys quarterback and current CBS analyst Tony Romo, 46, was arrested Thursday night in Milwaukee on suspicion of operating a vehicle while under the influence.
- A deputy said the four-time Pro Bowl selection failed field sobriety tests after being stopped. Romo was booked and released, with a court date set for September.
- Body camera footage shows Romo refusing to take a preliminary breath test for intoxication. He was also cited for having an open container of alcohol in the vehicle, according to a citation.
An open container of an alcoholic beverage was found inside Tony Romo’s vehicle at the time of his arrest on suspicion of operating a vehicle while intoxicated, according to a new citation released by the Milwaukee County Sheriff’s Office.
The bottle is said to have been found on the passenger’s side of Romo’s black Jeep before it was towed. According to another citation, the former Dallas Cowboys quarterback and current CBS analyst was seen passing cars in a gore area, which separates cars on the interstate from those entering from an on-ramp.
A third citation was issued for operating under the influence. The newly released citations have not been viewed by The Times, but their content has been reported by multiple media outlets.
Romo was stopped July 23 by a sheriff’s deputy while driving alone south on Interstate 43. Body camera footage shows that the four-time All Star selection refused to take a preliminary breath test.
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Court records show that Romo was issued a citation for refusing to take a test for intoxication following arrest and that a notice of intent to revoke his driver’s license has been filed.
The Milwaukee County district attorney’s office said Wednesday that the Operating While Intoxicated allegation will be referred to the D.A.’s office for review in mid-September. That referral and the refusal citation are both set for intake in court Sept. 21, the office said.
Video footage of the arrest, which has been published by multiple media outlets, shows a deputy telling Romo he was pulled over for unsafe passing on the right and lane deviation.
Romo appeared to remain friendly throughout the encounter and did not seem to slur his words. He tells the officer that he is visiting from Dallas, was coming from a golf tournament and is on his way to visit his grandparents. Asked how many drinks he had consumed prior to driving, Romo answered, “Zero.”
When he was told to step outside the vehicle, Romo requested to call a lawyer several times before exiting. He was patted down and handcuffed before being taken in the back of a squad car to a parking garage where field sobriety tests could be administered safely away from traffic.
Once there, the deputy told Romo she was running the tests based on his “red glassy eyes and then the odor of an intoxicating alcoholic beverage.”
Before the tests, Romo performed a variety of stretches, explaining that the cramped car ride aggravated his bad back. Asked if he had recently experienced any head injuries, Romo paused, smiled and said, “Well, over the years, yes, but not recently.”
He seemed to have trouble following the instructions for the field sobriety tests, at one point telling the deputy: “There’s too many. We gotta go step by step.” When executing the tests, Romo failed to follow some of the instructions, such as placing his feet heel to toe while walking a straight line and counting out loud while standing on one foot.
Asked if he would submit to the breath test, Romo said: “Oh, no, we’re not doing that. I’ve heard from all the lawyers, don’t ever do that. So we’re not gonna do that.”
He was then placed under arrest on suspicion of OWI. According to the arrest report, Romo was then booked and released.
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The incident remains under investigation.
This is Romo’s first OWI arrest, according to the report. In Wisconsin, a first-time offense is considered a civil violation with potential fines and revocation of his driver’s license.
Romo went to Burlington High, which is about 35 miles from Milwaukee, and played four seasons at Eastern Illinois before joining the Cowboys as an undrafted rookie in 2004. He spent all 13 of his NFL seasons with the team, passing for a team-record 248 touchdowns. His 34,183 passing yards were also a franchise record until Dak Prescott passed him last season.
Since 2017, Romo has been the lead game analyst for CBS, with Jim Nantz doing play-by-play. They have called three Super Bowls together. The network had no comment regarding Romo’s arrest.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
