Tony Romo hears the criticism of his chaotic broadcasting style, and he’s brushing it off.
In a recent interview with BroBible, the polarizing NFL analyst talked about the evolving reaction to his commentary. At first, Romo was lauded for his enthusiasm and clairvoyance. Now, he’s often derided for his nonsensical histrionics.
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“At first, they’d mostly tell me how much they love to listen to me and all these positives, so it’s fun. When you’re young and you come out and you’re good, then you’re dealing with more expectations,” he said. “You find out some people don’t like you and some people want you to do things differently and do this and that instead.”
Romo enjoyed a meteoric rise when he first entered the booth in 2017. Replacing Phil Simms, his excitable demeanor was refreshing, and it’s apparent he knew the league’s players and coaches. The apex of Romo’s career came during the 2019 AFC Championship, when he accurately called out nearly all of Tom Brady’s fourth quarter completions before they happened.
Shortly thereafter, CBS inked Romo to a 10-year, $180 million contract. His performance has slipped ever since.
During this year’s AFC Championship, viewers pilloried him for his sloppy effort.
But Romo says the negative remarks are just “noise” to him.
“You’ve gotta stay true to who you are,” he said. “You can’t please everyone. I know that because the number of people who come up to me has quadrupled since the first two or three years.”
It’s apparent that criticism to Romo isn’t confined to the Twittersphere. Last week, the New York Post’s Andrew Marchand reported that CBS execs approached Romo in an effort to try and get him to prepare more. Marchand labeled the meeting as an “intervention.”
A CBS Sports spokesperson called the description a “complete mischaracterization.”
Whatever the case, CBS’ Romo problem isn’t going away. The fact that Romo, who seldom sits down for interviews, felt compelled to address the conversation speaks to how loud it’s gotten.