CBS’ Tony Romo Responds To Intense Broadcasting Criticism
'You've gotta stay true to who you are'
Tony Romo has seen both ends of the spectrum when it comes to feedback in his post-playing career.
After joining the CBS booth heading into the 2017 NFL season, Romo was widely regarded as a breath of fresh air in the broadcasting world. But with each passing campaign, football fans seemingly have soured on the former Dallas Cowboys quarterback more and more.
Frustration for Romo reached a fever pitch during the AFC Championship Game when the four-time Pro Bowl selection turned in a call that was both annoying and bereft of legitimate insight. But Romo, who’s no stranger to being under the microscope, isn’t very concerned about harsh criticisms from the public.
“You’ve gotta stay true to who you are,” Romo recently told BroBible. “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.
“The thing is, the people who really love you aren’t gonna keep going out of their way to say, ‘I love you.’ They’re not going to keep tweeting ‘He’s the best’ every week, right? So, that goes away and then you hear more negative stuff, but that’s just noise.”
Romo isn’t the only national broadcaster who drew the ire of NFL fans this postseason. Legendary play-by-man Al Michaels ignited an uproar when he was basically emotionless throughout the Los Angeles Chargers-Jacksonville Jaguars overtime thriller in the wild-card round. Romo, on the other hand, has been condemned for being too theatrical in the booth.
“Some people are like, ‘Well, I just wanna have quietness and just sit there and relax,'” Romo told BroBible. “I’m like, ‘Well, you probably shouldn’t watch me as much.’ I’m going to try to get you excited or at least try to get you to be like, ‘Oh, this is huge.’ It’s not fake.
“Not every game is as big, but I’m saying what I’m really feeling during every game.”
Romo will be able to enjoy Sunday’s game purely as a spectator with FOX handling the broadcast duties for the Philadelphia Eagles-Kansas City Chiefs matchup in Super Bow LVII. But this time next year, it will be Romo and his CBS partner Jim Nantz on the call when the 2023 NFL season concludes with a winner-takes-all tilt in Las Vegas.
