{
  "id": 4894445,
  "title": "Tony Romo breaks silence on OWI in lengthy statement: 'None of this is an excuse'",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/01/tony-romo-breaks-silence-on-owi-in-lengthy-statement-none-of-this-is",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-09-01T16:30:57.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Yahoo Sports",
    "slug": "yahoo-sports",
    "url": "https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/tony-romo-breaks-silence-owi-163057380.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Over a month had passed since Tony Romo, the prominent CBS color commentator, had been arrested for Operating While Intoxicated (OWI) following a golf tournament in Wisconsin. He had failed a sobriety test and was subsequently placed on leave by CBS, although he was not under threat of immediate termination. Former teammate J.J. Watt was set to take his place in the booth, working alongside Jim Nantz during his absence.\n\nRomo had remained silent throughout this period, but in late August, a spokesperson released a statement to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. The statement indicated that Romo acknowledged full responsibility for his actions and was actively working towards resolving the matter, in collaboration with local authorities and CBS.\n\nOn Tuesday, Romo finally broke his silence himself, posting a lengthy statement on his Instagram account. In this statement, he pleaded no contest to a civil offense, asserting that he fully accepted responsibility for his actions. Additionally, Romo provided insight into his personal health struggles. He revealed that debilitating back pain had led him to over-rely on alcohol as a coping mechanism, which had contributed to the incident.",
  "summary": "Tony Romo has finally spoken on his viral OWI arrest, as the CBS broadcaster released a statement on the matter on Tuesday.",
  "key_points": [
    "Tony Romo admits responsibility for OWI arrest",
    "Back pain led to over-reliance on alcohol",
    "Pleads no contest to civil offense"
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}