Tony Romo Arrested for OWI in Wisconsin

On July 23, former Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo was stopped by a Milwaukee County sheriff’s deputy while driving a Jeep in Wisconsin. Body-camera footage released by TMZ shows Romo telling the officer he had just left a golf tournament and was on his way to visit his grandparents. The deputy ordered Romo to exit the vehicle for field-sobriety testing. After Romo repeatedly asked to contact a lawyer and was denied, he complied, was handcuffed, and taken to the police station where he performed the sobriety exercises.

TMZ

Romo, a retired NFL quarterback, has previously undergone back-surgery procedures, which he cited during the sobriety tests as a factor affecting his ability to bend over. The incident follows a pattern of high-profile athletes facing operating-while-intoxicated (OWI) charges, drawing public attention to the legal process for such offenses.

TMZ

Milwaukee County Sheriff’s Office officials indicated that Romo performed poorly on the field-sobriety tests, leading to his arrest on suspicion of operating while intoxicated. Court records show Romo was also cited for refusing a chemical intoxication test, a violation that can jeopardize driving privileges.

TMZ

• Date of stop: July 23 (occurred).

TMZ

• Citation: OWI suspicion plus refusal to submit to an intoxication test.

TMZ

• Potential penalty: According to the citation, a license suspension of up to one year is possible.

TMZ

Romo has filed a request for a hearing to contest the citation. If the court upholds the charge, he faces a possible year-long loss of driving privileges in addition to any fines or additional penalties associated with an OWI conviction. The case underscores how legal outcomes for OWI offenses apply uniformly, regardless of a defendant’s public profile.

TMZ