Tony Romo Pleads Guilty to OWI and Admits Alcohol Reliance

Tony Romo pleaded no contest on Tuesday to operating a vehicle while intoxicated. This charge stems from an arrest he faced in July in Milwaukee. He also issued a public statement admitting to an over-reliance on alcohol to handle his chronic back pain. The legal outcome is clear and severe. Court records show his driver's license will be revoked for six months. He must pay a fine of $784. Furthermore, Romo has to finish an Alcohol Assessment Program. He also needs to install an ignition interlock device on any car he owns. Police reports state officers found a strong odor of alcohol on him during that July traffic stop. They allegedly discovered an open bottle of an alcoholic beverage on the passenger side of his vehicle. The documents cite him for refusing a test and mark this as a first offense OWI.

The story takes a turn toward accountability after the initial shock. Romo posted on Instagram to his 658,000 followers where he took full responsibility for his actions. This morning, I faced a recent personal failure by pleading no contest to a civil offense of OWI in Wisconsin, he wrote. He added that he owns this completely. His post detailed the struggle between pain killers and alcohol use. He claimed he used alcohol to wean himself off the necessary medications. Multiple back surgeries ended his career earlier than expected, leaving him with constant debilitating pain. The pain led to a dependence on pain medication. My efforts to get off those medications led to an over-reliance on alcohol, he explained. He reminded his three young sons that when you fall short, you stand up and take full responsibility. That is an important first step. The harder and more important step is examining the path that brought you here and making the changes necessary to move forward.

Romo emphasized that the path requires honesty and stated none of this serves as an excuse. These are my failures, and I take full responsibility for them. His authenticity, which made him the lead NFL analyst at CBS, shines through in his words. He shared the extreme lows of his arrest and his attempt to rebound. The past month has been difficult, but it has also been personally significant. It required him to confront and own his mistakes fully, to the Lord, to himself, to his family, and now to the public. I am working closely with a team of doctors to address my health and make the necessary changes. He expressed deep gratitude for the support of his family, friends, and the NFL community including players, coaches and owners. Your encouragement has meant more to me than you know. In a world where social media likes measure approval, Romo so far has nearly 17,000 likes for his posted statement. One of those came from Fox Sports lead analyst Tom Brady.