CNN
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Top television executive Dick Ebersol has decades of experience in the world of sports broadcasting.
With his longevity in the TV business, Ebersol told CNN’s Chris Wallace he’s baffled by the sums of money being paid out to sports networks because he believes fans are watching games no matter who the announcers are.
After 14 seasons in the NFL with the Dallas Cowboys and four Pro Bowl selections, Romo retired from the sport in 2017 and later became an established football analyst at CBS.
His current long-term contract is said to be worth $17 million a year, but Ebersol, who has served as NBC Sports chairman for 22 years during a 40-year tenure at the company, believes Romo cannot deliver in the broadcast booth.
“He’s an incredibly dedicated guy, he should have been a great, great broadcaster,” Ebersol said in an interview with CNN’s Who’s Talking to Chris Wallace?.
Ebersol added that the former quarterback appears to have “lost his passion” for calling games.
“Something’s happened since he got on that chair. And it doesn’t seem like he’s in it, like he’s on the way up. He doesn’t seem like the storyteller he’s supposed to be…Tony just got further and further away from that, I think.”
He said he would “love to” be Romo’s producer for half a year and may soon “cure” what he sees as the 42-year-old’s broadcast shortage.
“This is someone who should be an announcer for eternity … And I’ve had him in my office a lot — not to kick his butt, just to keep reminding him of what got him there in the first place.” ‘ Ebersol continued.
However, Ebersol apologized for his comments about Romo on Wednesday, saying: “Tony Romo is like a son to me. I’m really his biggest fan on and off the pitch. As a fan and producer, I’ve always been known for taking unsolicited notes.
“But this time, after a long day of interviews, I’ve gone too far and openly said things that I don’t believe and that just aren’t true.
“No announcer is more passionate about the NFL than Tony Romo, and personally I can’t wait to hear his call this Sunday and every Sunday.” He’s as good as it gets.”
Romo has earned a reputation as a respected NFL co-caster and proved an instant hit with his peers, so much so that play-by-play announcer Jim Nantz dubbed him “Romostradamus” during the 2019 AFC Championship game between New England Designated Patriots and the Kansas City Chiefs correctly predicted plays and strategies coming after Romo.
CNN has reached out to Romo and CBS for a response to Ebersol’s comments.
During his time at NBC, Ebersol ran Saturday Night Live, developed the concept of Sunday Night Football and secured NBC’s status as the longtime rights holder of the Olympics before stepping down as head of NBC Sports in 2011.
Romo isn’t the only one with a multi-million dollar contract as a sports commentator: After retiring from football, Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady is reportedly making a $375 million broadcast on Fox Sports earn.
“You could go back and read all the different stories about men getting gargantuan salaries or women getting gargantuan salaries from NBC — during my years — you won’t find them there,” Ebersol said.
“We didn’t pay for things like that because I thought we had the best with the material we have. We had the Olympics, we had the NFL, eventually we had the NBA, we had things that these people really wanted to do. And that was a huge attraction.”