Tony Romo is learning that retirement from the NFL does not mean retirement from headlines.
The former Dallas Cowboys quarterback was arrested on suspicion of operating while intoxicated in Milwaukee on July 23. Now, new court documents have revealed his alleged blood-alcohol level at the time.
According to TMJ4, authorities said Romo’s blood-alcohol concentration was .15 after he was taken into custody.
Wisconsin’s legal limit is .08. So, yes, the number was not exactly flirting with the limit. It was almost twice as high.
Romo was pulled over following a round of golf after cops claimed they saw him unsafely pass a vehicle on the right.
He exhibited signs of intoxication during the stop, cops said, noting in body camera footage that the CBS broadcaster had “red glassy eyes and the odor of an intoxicating alcoholic beverage” emanating from his person.
Cops later stated in a court filing that they found an “open bottle of an alcoholic beverage” located on the passenger side of his black Jeep.
Romo was ultimately issued four citations — one for OWI, one for possessing open intoxicants in a moving vehicle, one for unsafe passing on right and one for refusing to take test for intoxication after arrest — but on Tuesday, he cut a deal with prosecutors to close out the case.
Romo spent years making complicated football decisions look easy, reading defenses, calling plays, escaping pressure, and throwing ridiculous fourth-quarter passes, but apparently, none of those skills came with a “do not drive after drinking” option.
Romo, through his attorney, pleaded no contest to the OWI charge and had his driving privileges revoked for six months. He was also ordered to complete an alcohol assessment program and pay over $700 in fines.
Part of his sentencing also included the condition that an ignition interlock device be placed on all of his vehicles for the next year.
The other three citations Romo was facing were dismissed following his plea, records show.
Romo said after the court proceedings in an Instagram statement that the entire ordeal was due to a substance-abuse issue he had developed following several back operations that he underwent during his time as an NFL player.
“Multiple back surgeries ended my career earlier than I expected and left me with constant, debilitating pain,” Romo wrote. “That pain led to a dependance on pain medication, and my efforts to get off those medications led to an over-reliance on alcohol.”
The newly disclosed BAC gives the public a clearer picture of what authorities allege happened that night. The court process will determine the legal outcome.
For now, the .15 number is doing plenty of talking.
