CBS Sports President David Berson broke his silence on Tony Romo today. He addressed the analyst’s status directly at the network’s NFL media day in Manhattan.
What We Know: Romo remains on leave following his July 23 arrest in Wisconsin on suspicion of OWI. Meanwhile, CBS kept him away from today’s media day session and let Berson handle the topic instead. Consequently, J.J. Watt has stepped into the top NFL broadcast booth for now.
What They Said: CBS Sports President David Berson: “I know there’s one topic that’s been in the news a lot lately. I know it’s on people’s minds here, so I’m gonna hit that right out of the gate, and that has to do with Tony Romo being on leave until further notice. I hope you can respect and appreciate that this is a personal matter and a legal one for Tony, so I can’t speak to that aspect of things. What I can say is it’s an evolving situation, and therefore we’re still assessing.”
“There’s no timetable or final decision at this time. Since it continues to evolve and we’re on the eve of the season, I felt it’s very important that our team, the many, many hundreds of people who work on the NFL on CBS, have certainty and direction so we can definitively plan and focus on the production and marketing as we kick off the season. In making this decision, we had to consider the impact on our image and on our brand. That’s very important to us. Whether the games, marketing, PR, social, the focus should be and needs to be on our presentation and this great product and not on any other factors.”
What Remains Unclear: Whether Romo returns to the booth this season still isn’t clear. However, Berson offered no timetable, and Romo’s Wisconsin court date isn’t until September 21.
What It Means: By addressing Romo up front, Berson tried to control the narrative before reporters could. Framing the leave as “evolving” keeps the door open, yet it also signals no resolution is imminent. Ultimately, CBS wants attention on its NFL season, not Romo’s situation, as Berson explicitly tied the decision to brand impact. For now, Watt remains the face of CBS’s top broadcast team, with Romo’s future undecided.
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John Mamola is Barrett Media’s sports editor and daily sports columnist. He brings over two decades of experience (Chicago, Tampa/St Petersburg) in the broadcast industry with expertise in brand management, sales, promotions, producing, imaging, hosting, talent coaching, talent development, web development, social media strategy and design, video production, creative writing, partnership building, communication/networking with a long track record of growth and success. He is a five-time recognized top 20 program director in a major market via Barrett Medi’s Top 20 series and has been honored internally multiple times as station/brand of the year (Tampa, FL) and employee of the month (Tampa, FL) by iHeartMedia. Connect with John by email at John@BarrettMedia.com.