CBS Sports president Sean McManus responds to Tony Romo ‘intervention’

The drama surrounding Tony Romo continues to mount.
CBS Sports Chairman Sean McManus appeared on SiriusXM’s Mad Dog Radio on Friday and told Chris “Mad Dog” Russo that he didn’t have an intervention with Tony Romo ahead of the 2022 season.
McManus acknowledged, though, that he meets with Romo periodically — the same as he would with other CBS analysts — to discuss his performance.
“The thought that there is some kind of story behind the fact that I sat down with Tony to talk about how he can get better is just inaccurate,” McManus said on the show, per Sports Illustrated.
The Post’s Andrew Marchand first reported that CBS Sports executives had staged “something of an intervention” last offseason — a series of meetings that featured broadcast partner Jim Nantz, lead NFL game producer Jim Rikhoff and McManus flying on separate trips to Romo’s home. Their visits featured dinners, tape reviews and more discussions about the broadcasts, as criticism started filtering in about a drop-off from the former NFL quarterback in the booth.
McManus told Russo that he thinks “this is being overplayed,” later adding that “we can all get better.”
Chris Russo and Sean McManus converse while in Arizona on Friday, Getty Images
Tony Romo has been paired with Jim Nantz on CBS and has faced recent criticism. Getty Images
Sean McManus denied that CBS held an intervention with Tony Romo. Getty Images
“To call this an intervention is a complete mischaracterization, we meet regularly with our on-air talent,” CBS Sports spokeswoman Jen Sabatelle said in a statement Feb. 2.
Romo, 42, recently told The Post that he thinks “you’re always evolving,” adding that he will often rely on trial and error “a bunch.” His successful entrance into broadcasting after retiring from the NFL — where he starred for 14 years and made two Pro Bowls with the Cowboys — led to CBS signing him to a massive 10-year deal to keep him at the network.
Romo and Nantz called their last game together for the season in the AFC Championship game, as Fox has the rights for Super Bowl 2023 on Sunday, but CBS will broadcast Super Bowl 2024 in Las Vegas.
“At first, they’d mostly tell me how much they love to listen to me and all these positives, so it’s fun,” Romo said in an interview with BroBible. “When you’re young and you come out and you’re good, then you’re dealing with more expectations. You find out some people don’t like you and some people want you to do things differently and do this and that instead.”