Tony Romo arrest video: New bodycam footage shows NFL broadcaster cooperating with cops during OWI incident

An arrest for suspicion of operating a vehicle while intoxicated put NFL broadcaster and former QB Tony Romo in the headlines on Friday, less than two months before he’s set to return to the CBS booth alongside Jim Nantz.

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Romo was arrested Thursday night in Milwaukee and now reportedly plans to keep a «low profile» for the remainder of the offseason before diving back into his broadcasting work in September.

Video of the arrest was released for the first time on Tuesday, showing Romo’s interactions with police and his sobriety tests.

Here’s a look at the video first released by TMZ.

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Tony Romo arrest video

A more than six-minute video shows Romo’s initial interaction with police, which ended with him in handcuffs. Romo and the officer both initially have a hard time hearing each other, but the former NFL QB ultimately tells her he was coming from the golf course and heading to see «grandma and grandpa.»

🚨 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

Romo had competed in the final round of the Wisconsin Amateur Championship earlier that day.

For a portion of the interaction, Romo and the officer argue over whether he is allowed to call his lawyer. The officer repeatedly asks Romo to step out of his vehicle while Romo tries to convince her to let him make a call.

The 46-year-old resisted submitting to a breathalyzer test, but he participated in field sobriety tests, video shows:

Here’s body cam footage of Tony Romo doing his sobriety test for the Police before he got arrested for DUI

🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨 https://t.co/n3weE25Ddm pic.twitter.com/JeKCmj5f97

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— Ahmed/The Ears/IG: BigBizTheGod 🇸🇴 (@big_business_) July 29, 2026

Here’s more to know about Romo’s arrest.

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Why was Tony Romo arrested?

Romo was arrested on suspicion of operating a vehicle while intoxicated after performing poorly on field sobriety tests and refusing to take a breathalyzer test.

The former NFL quarterback was pulled over for crossing the center line and weaving within his lane, an officer can be heard saying on the bodycam footage. 

Who are Tony Romo’s grandparents?

Romo told police he was heading to see his «grandma and grandpa» before being arrested. Romo grew up in the Milwaukee metro area and was arrested in Milwaukee, so that makes sense geographically.

A 46-year-old can have living grandparents, but if it sounds unusual that a 46-year-old man was heading to see both grandma and grandpa, that’s because it is. 

Obituaries for Ramiro Romo Sr. and Felicita Romo of Racine, Wisconsin, indicate both of his paternal grandparents are deceased, while a 2017 obituary for Helen Jakubowski indicates she was Romo’s maternal grandmother and states that her husband died in 1983.

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What was Tony Romo’s BAC?

Romo’s blood alcohol content during his arrest isn’t known, as he refused to take a breathalyzer test. While refusal to take a test opens an individual up to charges, it can also be a way to sow doubt in court, particularly in Romo’s case, as he could argue he performed poorly on field sobriety tests because of the condition his body is in after spending more than a decade in the NFL.

Tony Romo charges

Romo was charged with one count of operating a vehicle while intoxicated. While Romo grew up in Wisconsin, the arrest occurred out of state for the former quarterback, as he told police he currently lives in Dallas and was in town for a golf tournament. 

How tall is Tony Romo?

Romo was listed at 6-foot-2 during his playing days, so he didn’t rank among the tallest NFL quarterbacks. 

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