CBS' Jim Nantz defends Tony Romo over controversial Super Bowl call

CBS Sports lead NFL analyst Tony Romo received quite a bit of criticism for the excitement he showed seconds after the Kansas City Chiefs scored a walk-off overtime game-winning touchdown in their Super Bowl LVIII victory over the San Francisco 49ers. 

During an appearance on the latest edition of "The Main Event with Andrew Marchand" podcast, media legend Jim Nantz defended his broadcasting partner regarding what occurred this past February. 

"I felt good about the call and Tony’s enthusiasm," Nantz explained, as shared by Brandon Contes of Awful Announcing. "Tony is enthusiastic. That’s who he is. It’s all organic. He’s like a big kid. I’m gonna never say anything about Tony that would be misunderstood by anyone." 

Romo and CBS agreed to a 10-year contract back in 2020 that reportedly pays him $17.5M per season. While he quickly became a fan-favorite for his ability to predict plays before they happened and for his energy, viewers and analysts alike later ripped the former Dallas Cowboys starting quarterback for his performances throughout the playoffs held in January 2023. 

It was subsequently reported in February of that year that CBS management "tried an intervention" the previous offseason to have Romo "be better prepared" for assignments. More recently, then-CBS Sports chairman Sean McManus admitted this past February that the network had asked Romo to "calm down a little bit because you do get too into the game." 

For what it's worth, Nantz repeatedly has insisted he "loves" working with Romo. 

"I just chalk it up to the excitement of the moment and that four-hour broadcast," Nantz told Marchand while speaking about Romo. "I watched it last night. He was sensational. And if people want to nitpick and boil down four hours into one 15-second stretch, I don’t think that’s the right way to do it."

Performances of NFL announcing crews may become more scrutinized than ever before with Tom Brady preparing to make his official broadcasting debut this weekend. Brady is replacing award-winning analyst Greg Olsen on Fox's No. 1 announcing team, and the Awful Announcing website suggested after Super Bowl LVIII that CBS could eventually hire Olsen, give him Romo's current job and then move Romo to the studio for its "The NFL Today" program.