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Tony Romo Releases Statement Taking Accountability for OWI
By Matt Schultz
Published:
After more than a month of silence, Tony Romo released a statement addressing his viral OWI arrest footage:
Romo:
Football has shaped nearly every meaningful part of my life. I played for more than 20 years, including 14 in the NFL with the Dallas Cowboys. After my retirement, CBS gave me the profound honor of staying close to the game through broadcasting.
Playing taught me the power of relationships, the strength of a team, and the toughness to face failure head-on with honesty, resilience, and the determination to do better.
This is one of those moments when I am leaning on everything football taught me.
This morning, I faced a recent personal failure by pleading no contest to a civil offense for OWI in Wisconsin. I own this completely.
Multiple back surgeries ended my career earlier than I expected and left me with constant, debilitating pain. That pain led to a dependence on pain medication, and my efforts to get off those medications led to an over-reliance on alcohol.
As I have taught my three young sons: when you fall short, you stand up and take full responsibility. That is an important first step. The harder and more important step is examining the path that brought you here and making the changes necessary to move forward.
That path requires honesty.
None of this is an excuse. These are my failures, and I take responsibility for them.
The past month has been difficult, but it has also been personally significant. It has required me to confront and own my mistakes fully—to the Lord, to myself, to my family, and now to the public.
I am working closely with a team of doctors to address my health and make the necessary changes. I am deeply grateful for the support of my family, my friends, and the NFL community including players, coaches, and owners. Your encouragement has meant more to me than you know.
As I turn my attention to my health, my family, and, in time, my return to CBS, I kindly ask for privacy during this period.
God bless.
Tony Romo
Pretty informative statement here, I think. Sounds like Romo’s been dealing with a lot of pain since his playing days, which is a shame. Good to hear he’s working with a team of doctors to figure out a healthier plan going forward. Pain killers are rough. Having to rely on them is a really tough spot to be in, but it’s heartening to hear he’s nipping it in the bud and working hard to make the changes he needs to.
Romo remains on indefinite leave from CBS. Here’s to hoping he’ll be back calling games sooner than later.
Matt Schultz is a comedy and sports writer from Philadelphia. He’s written extensively for ClickHole, The Onion, and Conan O’Brien’s Team Coco. His work has been featured in Vulture, Deadspin, The A.V. Club, Paste Magazine, and other publications. Much of his sports journalism can be found on college basketball websites that don’t exist anymore (PhilaHoops Heads rise up…) email: M.Schultz@sportradar.com