Tony Romo has seen his once pristine reputation as a color commentator take a bit of a hit over the past year or so, and his longtime partner Jim Nantz is not pleased about the criticism.
Nantz was a guest on the latest episode of the “SI Media with Jimmy Traina” podcast. One of the topics that the Hall of Fame broadcaster enthusiastically discussed was the backlash against Romo, particularly late last season.
“I think there was a little bit of a misinformation attempt there to portray him in a not-so-favorable light,” Nantz said. “It was very disappointing. It really got, to me, more steam after the AFC championship game, which was our last game. And for the life of me, I didn’t understand it.”
There was a report from Andrew Marchand of the New York Post leading up to the Super Bowl that claimed CBS executives staged an intervention of sorts with Romo last offseason to make sure the former quarterback was better prepared heading into 2022. While he did not name that report specifically, Nantz mentioned how a lot of the negative talk about Romo started late in the year.
Nantz called Romo the “absolute best” and praised his partner for the unique way he prepares.
“I love the guy. And when somebody starts questioning our chemistry, there’s an agenda there. There is nothing wrong with our chemistry,” Nantz said. “I have never had better chemistry with anybody in my career than Tony.
“Tony is amazing. 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.”
Some viewers felt Romo’s analysis became less detailed and insightful last season. One longtime sports media executive had some unflattering things to say about the 42-year-old during the season, and it seemed like others jumped in to pile on.
Romo briefly addressed his critics after the season and downplayed the talk. Even if he is not bothered by it, he will probably prepare a lot harder heading into 2023.
