Former Cowboys QB Tony Romo resurfaces on Pat McAfee's MNF alt-cast after OWI arrest
Former Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo made his first media appearance since his July OWI arrest and CBS exit, joining Pat McAfee's ESPN2 alt-cast.
Former Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo returned to football television on Monday night for the first time since his July arrest in Wisconsin. He joined Pat McAfee's ESPN2 alternate broadcast of the Bills-Vikings game by remote video. USA TODAY Sports reported that he came on early in the second quarter and stayed until 8:44 remained before halftime. Asked how he was holding up, Romo said, "I'm doing good."
He kept the segment about football. Romo predicted a low-scoring game, praised Buffalo's ability to set its protection before the snap and complimented Minnesota's defense under coordinator Brian Flores, according to Awful Announcing. He also did a mock pre-snap cadence that called for getting the ball to Justin Jefferson. McAfee closed the segment by telling Romo the show had missed him this season.
The appearance came after a hard few months. USA TODAY reported that Romo was arrested July 23 and later charged with three counts related to operating a vehicle while intoxicated, including an open-container count. CBS put him on leave and then announced on Oct. 2 that it had parted ways with him. He had been the network's lead NFL analyst since 2017, and USA TODAY reported he was owed $72 million, with no settlement terms made public. J.J. Watt has taken over his chair beside Jim Nantz. The Dallas Morning News noted that CBS and Romo described the split as mutual. Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk called Romo a free agent in the media market and said his CBS settlement could include an offset tied to anything he earns elsewhere. That could affect what kind of job he takes next.
Romo has no role with the Cowboys. Still, a five-minute appearance on a rival network's broadcast drew plenty of attention for a former Dallas quarterback.
What it means for Sunday against San Francisco
The current Cowboys are 4-5 after a 27-23 win at Indianapolis, and they have won two of their last three. Their results have been mixed all season. Dallas has outscored opponents 246-236, and two of the five losses came by three points, to Baltimore and Arizona. The bigger problem has been home games. The Cowboys are 1-3 at home and 3-2 on the road, and they host the 49ers on Sunday on Fox.
San Francisco is favored on the board for the game. Novig lists the 49ers at -212 on the moneyline, and Pinnacle has the best price on San Francisco at -208, so the 12 venues are close on that side. Dallas is +203 on Novig. The venues disagree more on the spread. Novig has the 49ers at -4.5 for even money, while DraftKings is at 3.5 with -112. The total is 55.5 at Novig, and Pinnacle has the best over price at -107 on the same number. Hard Rock Bet has the total a point higher. That number fits Dallas's season, since five of its nine games have gone past 55 combined points. Sportsbook hold ranges from about 3% to 5% across the markets.