Retired NFL quarterback and CBS Sports analyst Tony Romo was arrested in Milwaukee on July 23, on suspicion of operating while intoxicated. Police bodycam footage shows Romo questioning officers, refusing breath tests, and declining a preliminary breath test before his court appearance scheduled for September.
The arrest unfolded shortly after 6 p.m. when a Milwaukee County Sheriff’s deputy pulled over a Jeep driven by Tony Romo at the Marquette interchange during rush hour traffic, according to reporting from TMJ4 News. The deputy, identified in video files as R. Kaur, stopped the vehicle for unsafe passing on the right, cutting across the gore
— the marked area between highway lanes, as Yahoo Sports detailed from video footage. Romo had just finished playing in a USGA tournament at the Wisconsin Amateur Golf Championship and stated he was heading to visit his grandparents, Foxnews.
Traffic Stop Arguments and Initial Detention
Body camera footage captures interactions between the driver and law enforcement on the elevated highway bridge. Because of the heavy traffic, the deputy explained that Romo would need to step out of the vehicle and move to a level surface for evaluation. Romo repeatedly asked if he could make phone calls to reach his attorney.
“Because I’m coming from a golf course, you think I’m drunk?”
Tony Romo, via Fox News
When the deputy asked how many drinks he had consumed, Romo insisted he had zero
alcohol, NBC Sports reported. Officers observed red, glassy eyes and detected the odor of an intoxicating beverage on his breath. During a search of his backpack for weapons, deputies noted a few shooters,
which are small containers of alcohol, though officers did not specify on camera whether any had been consumed. Romo was then handcuffed and transported away from the bridge.
Struggles During Field Sobriety Evaluations
At the Milwaukee County Jail Sally Port, Romo underwent standard field sobriety tests. Footage published by Page Six shows the former Dallas Cowboys star stretching and asking if he could do exercises before starting the evaluations. He informed deputies that he had undergone two back surgeries.
During the eye-tracking test, Romo had trouble keeping his head still and asked for frequent clarifications. When directed through the walk-and-turn test in his bare feet, he struggled with the instructions. There’s too many. We got to go step by step,
Romo told the deputy, as usmagazine.com. With each step along the line, his heel landed far forward, and he occasionally used his arms to maintain balance.
Multiple Refusals and Legal Penalties
Following the evaluations, deputies requested that Romo submit to a preliminary breath test. The retired quarterback refused the equipment check, citing legal advice he had received.
When deputies read Romo his rights under Wisconsin’s implied consent law and requested an evidentiary breath test, he again declined, asking for his attorney. Law enforcement subsequently obtained a search warrant for a mandatory blood draw to test his blood alcohol content.
Court records show that Romo received a traffic citation for refusing to take a test for intoxication after arrest. Romo was released from custody shortly after booking and is scheduled to appear in court for an intake on September 21.
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