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NFL legend Tony Romo may never return to CBS following his drunk-driving arrest, according to a sports media insider.
Romo was pulled over in his Jeep in Milwaukee on July 23 and charged with OWI after performing poorly in sobriety tests, with humiliating bodycam footage of the incident quickly going viral.
The Dallas Cowboys icon pleaded no contest to the offense this week, striking a plea deal with prosecutors to close the OWI case in Wisconsin.
However, his plea does not guarantee that Romo, who earns $18 million-a-year with CBS, will be returning to the booth.
Sports media insider John Ourand predicted it's '95 percent' certain that Romo will not return to CBS, who suspended him indefinitely after his arrest.
'I think it's highly unlikely,' Ourand said of a Romo return to CBS on 'The Powers That Be Daily' podcast Friday. 'And by highly unlikely, I think it's like 95 percent that he's not back at CBS.'
Tony Romo is '95 percent' finished at CBS, Sports media insider John Ourand claimed
The former quarterback was arrested after being pulled over in Milwaukee on July 23
Should Romo and CBS part ways for good, the two sides will have to resolve the matter of the roughly $72 million owed over the final four years of the retired quarterback's contract.
Romo was placed on indefinite leave by CBS following his arrest and temporarily replaced by JJ Watt, who will take up his duties alongside play-by-play commentator Jim Nantz.
'There's a potential JJ Watt falls on his face and doesn't do a good job and then there's an opening there and they can slide Romo back in,' Ourand said, 'but that's really unlikely to happen.'
David Berson, CBS Sports' president, said in early August they were still assessing the situation and had not established a timetable or final decision.
He noted that Romo's arrest had affected the company and Ourand has now added that the release of the bodycam footage from the arrest harms the network.
'The problem with Romo is there's that video for 44 minutes and anytime he says or does something silly in the booth, which he's kind of known for being like sillier than others, then the memes start up about whether he's drunk or whether he's drinking,' Ourand said on the podcast.
'CBS, they're zealous about their brand and they don't want that to affect their brand and they also see an opportunity potentially to save some money.
'Tony Romo makes $18 million a year, so this could be a way to save some money. But if you read again that [CBS] statement, there's going to be a negotiation and the question is: What is the number? … What is the number that would make Tony Romo sort of walk away without a fight? I think that's where the negotiations almost certainly are going to head.'
Romo was placed on indefinite leave by CBS and temporarily replaced by JJ Watt (pictured)
It emerged on Friday that one of the conditions of his plea deal is that he will have to spend time in jail if he is found guilty of another operating while intoxicated (OWI)-related offense within the next 10 years.
Another drinking-and-driving conviction in the next decade will lead to a 'mandatory jail sentence' for Romo. He has also agreed to have an ignition interlock device placed on all of his vehicles.
Romo has also been fined over $700 and his driver's license has been revoked for six months. He also vowed to complete an alcohol assessment program.
In addition to the original OWI charge, Romo was hit with first-offense OWI, unsafe passing on the right side, and possessing open intoxicants inside his vehicle. In exchange for agreeing to the plea deal's conditions, prosecutors have agreed to drop all other citations.
Earlier this week, Romo candidly opened up on his struggles with pain medication and alcohol dependency and took accountability for the incident.
'Football has shaped nearly every meaningful part of my life,' he said in a statement on Tuesday.
Romo, who famously dated Jessica Simpson, is married to wife Candice, a past Miss Missouri
Romo has been on leave at CBS since his OWI arrest month in his native Wisconsin
'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 OWl in Wisconsin. I own this completely.'
