It’s the end of an era for Jim Nantz and Tony Romo at CBS.
Romo announced he was parting ways with the network in early October, just over two months after he was arrested in Milwaukee in July on suspicion of operating a vehicle while under the influence (OWI), to which he plead no contest.
The former Cowboys quarterback was placed on indefinite leave following his arrest, and CBS promoted J.J. Watt to work with Nantz on the No. 1 NFL broadcast team. With the network moving on from Romo, Watt is set to continue in his new role while Romo takes some time to focus on his health, as he said in a statement on behalf of his PR team.
The public has no doubt been curious about what Nantz thinks of all of this, in light of his former partner’s high-profile exit from the network. Nantz broke his silence on Romo’s departure during Wednesday’s episode of the Traina Thoughts podcast with Jimmy Traina, during which he said he was not involved “whatsoever” in the network’s decision to part ways with Romo.
Nantz also shared his candid initial reaction to hearing news of Romo’s split with CBS earlier this month:
“When they made the decision, I think on Friday, October 2nd, I was in Las Vegas for that game against Kansas City,” Nantz said. “My first thought of course was just to see how Tony was doing, just as a friend, to make sure he’s doing alright. And I feel good about that right now. You saw his statement, I think he was very open-hearted in that statement and I know the support system he has at home, and I look forward to Tony coming through this. And he will.”
Jim Nantz opens up about his friendship with former broadcasting partner Tony Romo after ex-QB’s arrest
When probed about whether he thought Romo would work again, Nantz gave his former broadcasting partner a sterling endorsement.
“I think unquestionably he will work again,” continued Nantz. “I don’t know if it’s calling games or being in the studio. He’s got a lot of talent. He’s got a lot of people who like him. He’s a star, and he’s got a personality that is just different, and that’s a good thing. He’s a bigger-than-life personality. ... I don’t know where Tony’s head is right now so I’m not going to speculate. But I think that, you’re asking me will he ever work again in the business? I think there will be plenty of opportunity for that, ‘cause he’s got game.”
Nantz added that he wasn’t in any meetings regarding CBS’ search for Romo’s replacement, and that the network was aware of his friendship with Romo. The longtime announcer said his “confident guess” was that it was going to be Watt, and that he was immediately impressed by the former Texans star in the booth.
Still, Nantz appeared to get a bit nostalgic talking about his near-decade working alongside Romo, which proved to be quite the “enjoyable ride.” Nine years. Three Super Bowls. And a lifelong friendship forged in one of the most memorable NFL booths of recent history.
“It’s a forever relationship,” Nantz said of his bond with Romo. “It was a great friendship before we got started as teammates on the air. ... We’ll be friends forever. Nothing changes.”
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