Dave Portnoy Launches Harsh Criticism at Tony Romo During Live TV Segment
Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy did not hold back when discussing Tony Romo's recent performance. On Monday, January 12, Portnoy appeared on FS1's "Wake Up Barstool" and made a controversial statement about the CBS analyst. He suggested Romo looked like he was "on drugs or something" while calling the AFC wild-card game between the Buffalo Bills and Jacksonville Jaguars.
Portnoy Uses Greg Olsen's Presence to Take Shot at Romo
Portnoy made his comment during a segment featuring FOX analyst Greg Olsen. He used Olsen's appearance as an opportunity to criticize Romo, who had already faced a difficult weekend. Portnoy framed his remarks as a comparison between different networks. He doubled down on his criticism when Olsen did not engage with the comment.
The Barstool founder opened by complimenting Olsen before quickly turning his attention to Romo. "Your stock keeps going up," Portnoy told Olsen. "There's a guy on the other network, he looks like he's on drugs or something when he's calling games. Your stock is going up. Congrats for that."
Olsen did not respond to the provocation. Reports indicate he gave a small reaction before ending the segment without adding anything that would keep the Romo discussion alive. This left Portnoy to own his comment on air.
Portnoy Defends His Comments After Olsen's Exit
"He didn't say it, I said it. I mean, come on," Portnoy said after Olsen signed off. "What was Romo talking about? Tony Romo started that game off with the most nonsensical rant I ever heard."
That "nonsensical rant" has become a focal point of the backlash against Romo. One recap of the broadcast noted Romo opened the game alongside Jim Nantz by trying to frame Jacksonville as an upset threat. He also acknowledged Buffalo was the underdog, which confused viewers and betting context in real time. The same write-up said Romo "wouldn't recover" from that opening stretch and took criticism for the rest of the call.
Social Media Criticism Adds to Romo's Troubles
Portnoy was not alone in his criticism of Romo. Social media platforms saw numerous complaints about the analyst's performance throughout the broadcast. Many viewers felt the call turned into sounds and reactions instead of clean analysis.
One fan posted: "Tony Romo is a complete embarrassment. It's beyond time for CBS to demote or can him." Another viewer complained about what they felt was sloppy commentary: "Tony Romo is so bad now. He just says nonsense like he's making real points."
Romo also repeated a broad statement during the game that irritated some watchers: "I think whoever wins this game has a chance to go to the Super Bowl." His praise of Josh Allen sparked its own wave of negative reactions. One post read: "Tony Romo loves Josh Allen more than his own family."
The Game Itself Provided Plenty of Action
The Buffalo Bills won the game 27-24, with Allen scoring the go-ahead touchdown to finish it. However, the story coming out of the broadcast was not Allen's late score. The focus remained squarely on the broadcast booth and Romo's performance.
This explains why Portnoy's clip spread so quickly across social media. His wording was extreme, but it landed on top of criticism that was already trending. The visual of Olsen sitting there, not taking the bait while Portnoy kept pushing, made the moment particularly memorable.
Bigger Media Conversation About Romo's Future
Portnoy's comment taps into a larger media conversation that has been developing for some time. Multiple outlets have noted Romo's reputation has been sliding for years. The volume of backlash is now loud enough that CBS will likely keep hearing about it.
Some media pieces have even suggested CBS could eventually face real internal pressure about its No. 1 analyst spot. Other high-profile names have been mentioned as potential future options for the network.
Tony Romo remains CBS's lead analyst. But after this weekend, he has also become the lead topic of conversation in sports media circles. This is the kind of attention networks typically try to avoid.
