The Quick Verdict
Tony Romo has withdrawn from the 56th Texas State Open, which begins Tuesday 28 July at Cascades Country Club in Tyler, Texas. Cascades confirmed the withdrawal to KETK on Sunday. It follows his arrest on Thursday 23 July in Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, on suspicion of operating while intoxicated.
He was booked on a first-offense OWI and released the same night. He has a court date of 21 September. As of the most careful reporting available, formal charges had not been filed — and in Wisconsin, a first-offense OWI is generally handled as a civil matter rather than a criminal one.
Romo has not commented publicly. CBS has declined to comment. Nothing has been decided by any court.
What the record shows
He was in Wisconsin, where he grew up, to play golf. He'd just finished the 125th Wisconsin Amateur Championship in West Bend, which ran 20–23 July, finishing in a four-way tie for 73rd at 35 over par.
He was stopped on the evening of Thursday 23 July, driving southbound on Interstate 43 in Milwaukee County, roughly forty miles from the tournament. According to the arrest detention report — obtained first by FOX6 Milwaukee — he "performed poorly" on standardized field sobriety tests. He was arrested at around 6:15 p.m., booked around 9:45 p.m., and released at about 11 p.m.
Worth being precise about that phrase. Field sobriety tests are an officer's assessment recorded in a report. They're not a measurement. No source has reported a blood-alcohol figure for Romo. That absence has stayed constant through five days of coverage.
The bit most coverage is getting wrong
You'll read that Romo was "charged." At least one outlet says exactly that.
Awful Announcing, which was the most careful on this point, reported that formal charges had not yet been filed. Those are different stages. Being arrested, being booked on a suspected offence, being cited, and being formally charged by a prosecutor are four separate things, and coverage flattens them constantly.
The other detail that keeps getting lost: in Wisconsin, a first-offense OWI is generally treated as a civil violation rather than a criminal charge, typically carrying a fine of $150–$300 plus a $435 OWI surcharge. Some reporting adds a temporary licence suspension and, depending on blood-alcohol level, a possible year in a sobriety programme.
A caveat on all of that: every legal characterisation in this story comes from reporters summarising, not from lawyers or statute. I found no source that quotes Wisconsin law directly or cites a section number, and no attorney has been quoted on the case. Treat the above as what's being reported, not as legal advice.
The newest claim, and why I'm not leaning on it
On Monday, The Big Lead reported — citing court records via another outlet — that Romo refused an intoxication test and was cited for the refusal.
If confirmed, that matters. It would explain why no BAC figure exists, and in most states refusing carries its own consequences.
I'm flagging it rather than running with it. The chain is thin: one outlet citing another I can't assess. The excerpt available to me cuts off mid-sentence at a quote from the Milwaukee County District Attorney's office. And the same piece carries a stop time of around 8 p.m., which conflicts with the 6:15 p.m. arrest recorded in two independent accounts of the police report.
Earlier reporting from NBC Sports and Yahoo said explicitly that it was unclear whether he'd submitted to testing. Until a second independent source confirms the refusal, that's still the honest position.
One more discrepancy while we're here: two outlets put the stop at around 8 p.m., citing WISN. Two others, both working from the detention report, put the arrest at 6:15 p.m. with a full booking and release timeline attached. I'd trust the second, but nobody has reconciled them.
The golf part, which most coverage treats as trivia
Romo has played the Texas State Open nine times. He isn't a celebrity guest there — it's a Northern Texas PGA event, held in Tyler since 2018, with a $200,000 purse, and he's been a regular alongside working professionals. Last year he shot 69 and then 76 and missed the cut.
That's the record of someone who genuinely plays. The 35-over week at the Wisconsin Amateur was a bad one, but it was a bad week at a state amateur championship, which is not an event you enter for fun. He's also won the American Century Championship three times.
He's from Burlington, Wisconsin. During the tournament he spent time with spectators, at one point showing a young fan some quarterback drills after a round.
None of that has any bearing on what happened afterwards. It's just context that the football-desk coverage keeps skipping, and it's the part a golf publication should actually be able to tell you.
What happens next
The court date is Monday 21 September. Two things about that: Romo normally works Sundays during the NFL season, and the date falls six days before he's scheduled to call the Ravens–Cowboys game in Brazil for CBS.
CBS declined to comment to The Athletic and didn't respond to a separate request. Reporting indicates he's still expected to open the 2026 season as lead analyst alongside Jim Nantz, entering his tenth year with the network. No disciplinary action has been reported.
You may see claims that CBS is under mounting public pressure to suspend him. I looked at the source of that and it names nobody — no executive, no sponsor, no organisation. It's aggregated sentiment presented as reporting, so I've left it out.
And a note if you're reading around: a Sports Illustrated piece about CBS's chairman defending Romo is currently surfacing in searches on this. It's from February 2023 and concerns his commentary, not this. Check dates.
What nobody knows
He hasn't said why he withdrew. The club confirmed he had; it didn't characterise a reason, and neither has he. Everything beyond that is inference.
Nobody has reported his blood-alcohol level. Nobody has confirmed whether he was tested. Nobody knows whether the prosecutor will file charges. Nobody knows what CBS will do.
And nothing has been proven. An arrest is an allegation. The 21 September hearing is where any of this gets resolved.
FAQ
Which tournament did Tony Romo withdraw from?
The 56th M&P Group Texas State Open at Cascades Country Club in Tyler, Texas, starting Tuesday 28 July. A Monday Q&A appearance was also cancelled.
When and where was he arrested?
Thursday 23 July, on Interstate 43 in Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, on suspicion of operating while intoxicated.
Has he been charged?
He was booked on a first-offense OWI. As of the most careful reporting available, formal charges had not been filed. He has a court date of 21 September.
Is a first-offense OWI a crime in Wisconsin?
Per the reporting, it's generally treated as a civil violation rather than a criminal charge, with a fine typically between $150 and $300 plus a $435 surcharge. No source quotes the statute directly.
Did he take a breath test?
Early reporting said it was unclear. One later report says he refused and was cited for refusing. That hasn't been independently confirmed.
Has Romo said anything?
No. He has made no public statement since the arrest.
What has CBS said?
Nothing. The network declined to comment. He's still reported to be opening the 2026 NFL season as lead analyst with Jim Nantz.
Why was he in Wisconsin?
He's a Burlington native and was playing the 125th Wisconsin Amateur Championship in West Bend, finishing tied 73rd.
GOLFRAW's Take
There's nothing to be clever about here, so I won't be. A man has been arrested, he hasn't been to court, and he's pulled out of a golf tournament. That's the story. Everything past it — the discipline talk, the intervention pieces from three years ago, the speculation about what CBS will do — is people filling space before the facts arrive on 21 September. The one thing worth saying is that the withdrawal was his own decision, made quietly, five days after the arrest, with no statement attached. He could have played and let everyone gawp. He didn't. Whatever comes out in September, that part was handled the right way round.