Tony Romo on Criticism of Social Media: ‘It’s Justified’

The criticism of CBS NFL analyst Tony Romo can sometimes be over the top, but even he knows there are some valid points.

Romo joined the recent episode Cousin Sal’s Victorious Weekend for The Ringer and FanDuel TV. During the interview, “Cousin” Sal Iacono asked Romo about dealing with criticism that comes with being the lead NFL analyst for CBS.

“You kind of get a turtle when you play in the NFL, where things can just hit you and keep going,” Romo said. “But that doesn’t mean it doesn’t affect the people around you or the people you’re with. So you’re going to hear about different things, and when you talk about criticism, I mean, if you’re on Twitter and you’re basing it on that, it’s not unfounded.

“Maybe I should do these things, maybe they’re right in some ways. My job is – I want to do the best job for this game so you can enjoy it as much as you can… You want to enjoy the experience, and if I make it not enjoyable, well, that’s my fault. I should have done better.”

While Romo’s social media criticism can be loud, the former Dallas Cowboys quarterback says fans are very complimentary in person. Romo noted that fans may even tweet praise about him occasionally, but they won’t do it repeatedly. Critics, however, will jump at any opportunity to say Romo is bad at his job. Romo added that he may one day ask fans for their opinion by posting a question on social media. Personally, I would advise him against it.

Sal recalled a similar situation when his cousin Jimmy Kimmel worked for Fox NFL Sunday as a game predictor. According to Sal, at one point they put Kimmel’s fate in the hands of fans, setting up a phone line where people could vote on whether he should stay or go.

“This is the world we live in and that’s a good thing,” Romo said. “In my opinion, the fans are the people who literally make the decisions and they should. Because it’s like, if they don’t like you, we’re not playing the sport, trying to win. We’re trying to make the experience better for the viewer.”

Romo burst onto the scene in 2017, exceeding everyone’s expectations, and then parlayed his quick start into a massive $180 million contract with CBS in 2020, doing the NFL broadcasting industry a huge favor by raising everyone’s salary cap. But Romo’s luster has since faded, with people less impressed by his ability to anticipate plays and more surprised by his sometimes over-the-top enthusiasm.

Overzealous enthusiasm, strange noises and a tendency to step on Jim Nantz’s phones make Romo an easy target on social media. Social media may be just a microcosm of his audience, but at least some of those concerns were shared by the network, with former CBS Sports chairman Sean McManus admitting to telling Romo to “calm down a little” last year. Romo downplayed his critics earlier this year, and while he may not have paid much attention to the negative criticism, he clearly thinks it may be warranted.

(Cousin Sal’s Victorious Weekend)