Tony Romo Told Police He Was Headed to See His Grandparents Before OWI Arrest

New evidence has come up in the Tony Romo OWI arrest case. Raw camera footage from the police officer who pulled over the retired Dallas Cowboys quarterback revealed that Romo was on his way to meet his “grandpa” and “grandma.”

The footage, recovered by TMZ, showed Romo in the driver’s seat when a deputy approached his SUV on the side of an elevated highway. The deputy told Romo that it was “unsafe passing on the right” and cutting across a marked area.

Although the conversation appeared barely audible at times, some of Romo’s words were caught on the camera. The deputy asked Romo where he was coming from and where he was headed.

The golf course, and I’m going to meet grandma and grandpa.

Tony Romo said

According to Entertainment Weekly and People, Romo participated in the 125th Wisconsin Amateur Championship golf tournament on July 23 at the West Bend Country Club. Romo was born in San Diego, California, but was raised in Burlington, Wisconsin, where his father was stationed in the U.S. Navy.

🚨 EXCLUSIVE: Tony Romo told cops he was on his way to meet his grandma and grandpa when he was pulled over and ultimately busted for OWI … newly released body camera footage shows. pic.twitter.com/visfkPfxGT

— TMZ (@TMZ) July 29, 2026

The deputy asked Romo whether he had consumed alcohol at the tournament. Romo quickly replied that he did not. Then the deputy asked Romo to take field sobriety tests, but the former Cowboys signal-caller asked permission to call his lawyer, which was promptly denied.

The deputy asked Romo to step out of his SUV several times before he complied. He was quickly handcuffed before being escorted to the nearest police station. In the video, Romo is seen getting out of the police vehicle. A few hours later, Romo’s mugshot was released on social media.

According to the Milwaukee County Sheriff’s Office arrest-detention record revealed that the arrest took place at 6:18 p.m. on I-43. Ultimately, the police released Romo from the Milwaukee County Jail.

His alleged offense was cited as OWI (Operating While Intoxicated). It’s not considered a criminal offense. In such cases, people are often required to pay a fine between $100 and $150. That said, Romo still has to appear in court. Per Adam Schefter of ESPN, the court date is set for September 21.

Could CBS cut Tony Romo?

Given that the biggest news in the football world is Ryan Clark’s dismissal from ESPN, many have speculated whether Romo would meet a similar fate. After retiring from the NFL, Romo switched over to broadcasting. He has worked for CBS Sports as a color analyst for a while.

However, his recent arrest could affect his work life. Dan Le Batard on his show suggested that the network could part ways with Romo.

Given that his employers had to stage what was called an intervention to get him to work harder. Now you have an incident like this. It has a shame involved that if you were looking for a reason to get rid of somebody. This kind of publicity is reason enough.

Le Batard said (H/T Barrett Media)

CBS may have already evaluated its lineup with just a few weeks left before week one of football. The network perhaps needed an excuse to wash its hands of him, and now the network has one.

Romo played college football for Eastern Illinois. After going undrafted, the Dallas Cowboys gave Romo a deal. It took Romo more than three years to finally earn the starting quarterback’s job. Romo completed his NFL career with a 78-49 record. He threw for 34,189 yards, 248 touchdowns and 117 interceptions. Romo had a 2-4 playoff record. The four-time Pro Bowler retired in 2017.

Also Read:

• Justin Herbert and Madison Beer’s Engagement Draws Hilarious Reactions – “Only Ring Bro’s Going to Get”
• Aaron Rodgers Credits Wife and Mike McCarthy for Changing His Retirement Plans