After a critically acclaimed start to his career, Tony Romo’s broadcasting style has been ridiculed over the past couple of years — and his partner Jim Nantz believes the hate is unwarranted.
“I think there was a little bit of a misinformation attempt there to portray him in a not-so-favorable light,” Nantz told SI.com. “It was very disappointing. It really got to me … And for the life of me, I didn’t understand it.”
The Post’s Andrew Marchand reported that CBS executives attempted to stage an intervention for the former Cowboys’ quarterback before the 2022-23 season, hoping the Romo that everyone once loved would return.
Instead, received even more backlash from fans and the media.
“Tony Romo is the college kid who didn’t crack a book all semester but his sure-fire oral exam strategy is to smother the professor with enthusiasm, charm, bluster and every possible answer,” ESPN senior writer Don Van Natta Jr. tweeted during the Bills-Bengals AFC Divisional Round game.
During the preseason meeting with Romo, CBS Sports chairman Sean McManus and CBS’ lead NFL game producer Jim Rikhoff spoke about wanting him and Nantz to mesh better.
Nantz reflected on the relationship between him and Romo, stating that “I have never had better chemistry with anybody in my career.”
“Tony is the best. He’s the absolute best. And he’s also one of my best friends. I love the guy. And when somebody starts questioning our chemistry, there’s an agenda there,” Nantz said. “There is nothing wrong with our chemistry.
“Don’t ask everybody to be the same, by the way. Tony does it his own way. I’m talking presentation and everything. Tony has his way of watching a game. It’s fun. There’s a magnetism with Tony. There’s an excitement. It’s real. Our friendship is real.
“If you really want to look at it through the course of the season, I think it speaks for itself what the public says about Tony. You’re building it down to what maybe some media observers say and what Twitter says, but all I never hear about from people is they love the team and they love Tony and we’re gonna have a great season. I have so much respect for him and what he’s done and what he’s done to elevate the excitement of the NFL.
Despite Nantz’s support for his co-worker, Romo will face scrutiny as we head into next season with the duo once again manning CBS’ top booth.
The pair will be broadcasting next year’s Super Bowl in Las Vegas, and if things aren’t better by then, Romo could catch more flak than ever.
