The Shady Side Of Tony Romo

Quarterback-turned-commentator, Tony Romo is known for his enthusiasm for football, but that doesn't mean he's immune to criticism. Au contraire, he's been accused of shady tendencies a number of times since going into broadcasting. That said, almost every time he's faced some kind of controversy, those close to him have sprung to his defense. 

To refresh, almost immediately after Romo retired as a player, he began working as a color analyst for CBS Sports. He's been there, ever since — but what many might not realize is that before he started in his new role, he trained for the position with none other than Jimmy Kimmel. As the "Jimmy Kimmel Live" host recounted in a 2020 interview with Romo, he and his cousin had arrived early to the NFL player's retirement party, and suggested playing "Madden NFL" so that he could practice his commentary. Perhaps unsurprisingly, things took a turn. "I think you practiced for about three minutes, and then you just started playing 'Madden' the whole time, and then we watched you play 'Madden' for, like, four hours," Kimmel laughed.

Granted, that's not shady so much as lackluster hosting, and it's clear Kimmel wasn't at all fazed. Ironically, though, that seems to be a trend with many of Romo's critics. Even some of his detractors have later clarified that they didn't think him particularly shady. And, even when the critics themselves haven't done so, he always has someone to back him up. 

Jimmy Kimmel might not have been put out by Tony Romo getting caught up in "Madden NFL," but in 2021, a fellow Dallas Cowboys alum hinted at his behavior being slightly on the shady side early on in his career. In an interview for "First Take," Keyshawn Johnson ranted about quarterbacks in general being able to make copious demands, while other positions would face serious consequences if they did the same (via X). Johnson didn't leave that as a general statement, though. Towards the end of his rant, he got personal, and mentioned Romo by name. "Tony Romo [is] one of the most diva-ish dudes that I've ever been around in that position ... and he wasn't even starting, at the time!" he complained. 

Evidently, Romo's apparent diva tendencies weren't that off-putting for Johnson. In January 2024, he had nothing but good things to say of the retired quarterback. In fact, in an interview with the "Awful Announcing" podcast, he shared that they were good friends, despite him joking that Romo owed him money for floor seats. 

Johnson also hinted that a lot of the criticism Romo received regarding his legacy was unwarranted. "I wish he'd have just won a Super Bowl so people wouldn't talk so much craziness," he mused. Hey, even if he had been a shady diva in the past, it's clear Johnson sees him as a good guy. 

Moving on to Tony Romo's time as a commentator, in January 2023, he was accused of catching himself using a racial slur while live on-air. In a video uploaded to X, previously known as Twitter, platform user @Craigoohhh shared a video of a moment of action where Romo narrated the action. "Right there, you've got 3 ni–," he trailed off, cutting whatever he was saying short. 

That initial post tagged fellow former footballer, Shannon Sharpe, urging the "Undisputed" host to address the situation on his show. Unfortunately for anyone hoping to see the situation taken further, though, that never happened. However, Sharpe did respond to that initial X post, albeit in a very cryptic way. Starting by pointing out that it was on live TV, he wrote, "You get hyped and 4get sometimes where you are." We're not sure that constitutes an excuse — especially with the subtext being that it wouldn't have been equally problematic if said behind closed doors. 

Romo himself has never offered an explanation as to what he was planning on saying before stopping himself. Perhaps it was an instance of being tongue-tied, though it seems unlikely. Either way, there's no question that the entire situation reeks of shadiness. 

While nowhere near as problematic as his January 2023 faux pas, Tony Romo has also made a number of other mistakes on air. And, perhaps surprisingly, two of those mix-ups have revolved around Taylor Swift. 

With Swift's relationship with Travis Kelce heating up, the singer has been spotted at a number of NFL games in recent months. That's led to a ton of speculation regarding just how serious they are — and Romo has only added fuel to the fire. In early December 2023, Romo referred to Swift as the Kansas City Chiefs player's wife (via X). Though he corrected himself almost immediately, Romo went on to jokingly reference the mishap later that month, during the Christmas day game between the Chiefs and the Las Vegas Raiders (via Instagram).

While it certainly seems as though Romo had no ill intent with his repeated jokes, it's worth noting that Kelce has spoken out against the NFL's excessive coverage of his relationship. As he said in an episode of the podcast he co-hosts with his brother, "New Heights," it could get to be a bit much at times. In light of that, Romo's mistakes could be seen as an act of shadiness. However, Kelce also pointed out that shining a spotlight on his relationship, as well as any celebrities joining the crowd, made for a lot of excitement at the games, so he understood why it was happening. 

Tony Romo might not have meant any harm when he referred to Taylor Swift as Travis Kelce's wife, but there's no denying that he knew exactly what he was doing by mentioning her at all: boosting ratings. Romo has made it clear, in the past, that he's of the all-publicity-is-good-publicity school of thought. And, while it may be shady to use a player's relationship to gain greater exposure for the sport, it's worth pointing out that he's happy to be in that position himself. 

In a 2023 interview with The Athletic, Romo acknowledged that despite years of being in the public's favor, he'd suddenly acquired a lot more haters — but that he was okay with it. Pointing out that he believed the sudden switcheroo had a lot to do with sports media using clickbait to draw people in, he explained, "People like clicks. I mean, that's a real thing. And I think they should. I think it's all a positive. Talking about it, it helps all of the NFL." 

Sure enough, "The Colin Cowherd Podcast" saw the host muse that even the reports of Romo being called in by CBS execs over his performance could well have had something to do with publicity. "That only gets out because CBS wants it out," he said. Shady, but effective. 

Finally, a note on those reports of Tony Romo being spoken to by CBS executives. There's no denying that Romo has had some strange media moments over the years, but more recently, he's been accused of slacking on the job. The job, it must be said, that pays him $17 million a season to do (via the New York Post).

As noted on "The Colin Cowherd Podcast," Romo does at times appear unprepared. "Romo sounds like sometimes — and he's entertaining — he's winging it," Cowherd mused. In light of that, the New York Post reported that CBS leadership had set aside time to speak with the former quarterback. Granted, the network rubbished the idea that it was ever that serious, telling the outlet, "To call this an intervention is a complete mischaracterization, we meet regularly with our on-air talent." 

As has been the case throughout his career, Romo's nearest and dearest have been quick to come to his defense. In addition to the CBS rebuttal, Romo's co-anchor, Jim Nantz has made a point of praising him for Sports Illustrated's "SI Media Podcast." "Tony has his way of watching a game, and it's fun. There's a magnetism with Tony, there's an excitement," he gushed. One thing's for sure: even if Romo has had some shady moments, those close to him are always down to put in a good word.