CBS Sports chairman reveals major Tony Romo update

It appears viewers and media members aren't the only people who have noticed that CBS Sports lead NFL analyst Tony Romo can sometimes be a little over-the-top during his calls of games. 

"He’s not your meat and potatoes analyst," CBS Sports chairman Sean McManus said about Romo while speaking with Christopher "Mad Dog" Russo of SiriusXM, as shared by Brandon Contes of Awful Announcing. "He’s more of a fan. He gets excited. We sometimes say to him, 'Hey, calm down a little bit because you do get too into the game.' Which I think is a plus."

McManus insisted that "generally speaking, people really enjoy listening to" Romo and play-by-play announcer Jim Nantz. Romo and Nantz will be on the call for this Sunday's Super Bowl LVIII matchup between the San Francisco 49ers and Kansas City Chiefs. 

It was reported last winter that McManus was part of an alleged "intervention" held for Romo after the former Dallas Cowboys quarterback was criticized for his work during the 2021 NFL season. Such takes about Romo have only grown louder leading up to the country's biggest sporting event of 2024, but McManus seemed to place at least some blame on websites such as X (formerly known as Twitter). 

"When social media starts to turn, it really turns and it becomes almost a self-fulfilling prophecy and the people who really like Tony tend not to tweet," McManus said. "It’s mostly the negative…and right now they’re all focused on Tony Romo."

Part of CBS' problem could be related to the fact that Fox's Greg Olsen has replaced Romo as America's favorite NFL analyst. It is, however, worth noting that some have questioned Romo's dedication to his craft and have even suggested he's unprepared for game-day assignments. 

"I think he’s working his rear end off," McManus said about Romo. "I think the fact that he’s not prepared is not fair." 

Just like with playing, an announcer making an avoidable and noticeable mistake can result in that individual overcorrecting before he fumbles over his words at a critical point of a game. The harsh truth is that Romo won't silence detractors unless he turns back into the top-tier analyst who was worthy of the 10-year contract reportedly worth up to $180M that he signed in February 2020.