MATT DAYHOFF/JOURNAL STAR / USA TODAY NETWORK

Tony Romo explains his weird moments in Sunday’s broadcast

Originally posted on Larry Brown Sports | By Grey Papke | Last updated Jan 14, 2026 5:21 PM ET

Tony Romo garnered a lot of negative attention for his broadcast of Sunday’s AFC Wild Card game between the Jacksonville Jaguars and Buffalo Bills, but he had something of an explanation for it.

In an appearance on SiriusXM Wednesday, Romo admitted he was dealing with an illness during Sunday’s game. He said there was no thought of missing the broadcast because of the excitement of a playoff game.

“Oh yeah, we had a bunch of guys sick. We were just grinding through it, but you’re not gonna miss a playoff game. It’s too much fun,” Romo said.

In an interview this morning with SiriusXM’s Adam Schein, Tony Romo sort of responds to the negative response to his call of Bills-Jaguars. It was also revealed that Romo was sick on Sunday. pic.twitter.com/Guw2UzFpDe
— Jimmy Traina (@JimmyTraina) January 14, 2026

Romo also somewhat acknowledged his critics, saying that no broadcast would ever be perfect and that the criticism comes with the job. He has said similar things in the past.

“There’s always gonna be moments where there’s great stuff and then other stuff, it’s just part of being in your position,” Romo said.

Romo’s illness might explain some of the weird noises he was making during Sunday’s broadcast. To many critics, however, the surface-level analysis and meandering commentary were much bigger issues. A lot of fans have grown tired of him for a whole host of reasons this season.

Romo was once appointment viewing, but his act has grown stale to many people. That is troubling news for CBS, as they are paying him an enormous sum of money for the foreseeable future with no clear way to make a change if they want to.

This article first appeared on Larry Brown Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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