Video obtained by NBC 5 shows the arrest of former Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo, after he was pulled over and taken into custody on suspicion of intoxicated driving in Milwaukee on July 23.
Romo was booked on one count of allegedly operating while intoxicated.
The video shows Romo in the driver’s seat when a deputy, identified in the video files as R. Kaur, approaches his SUV on the side of an elevated highway. Kaur told Romo she pulled him over for “unsafe passing on the right” and cutting across a marked area.
At points, Romo and the deputy discuss how it is hard to hear each other as they speak.
Kaur asked Romo where he was coming from and he responded, “The golf course, and I’m going to meet grandma and grandpa.”
Later in the video, she asked Romo, “How many drinks have you had?”
“Zero,” he responded, adding that he was at a golf tournament.
The deputy asked Romo if he is willing to take field sobriety tests and Romo indicated he wanted to call his lawyer.
The deputy ordered Romo to step out of the vehicle several times as he asked whether he was allowed to call an attorney. The deputy said he couldn’t and that it was an OWI investigation.
Romo exited his vehicle at that point, and the deputy handcuffed him, explaining she was detaining him to take him off the bridge to a level surface for the tests. The traffic stop video ended after Romo got into the deputy’s vehicle.
Another video showed Romo getting out of the car. Kaur uncuffed him and explained that this was based on where Romo was coming from, what she described as “red, glassy eyes” and “the odor of an intoxicating alcoholic beverage from your breath.” The deputy also mentioned that when they searched Romo’s backpack for weapons, they observed “a few shooters,” slang for small containers of alcohol.
“Any of them drank?” Romo asked. The deputy does not respond, and directed him over to begin the field sobriety tests.
Romo asked if he can “do exercises,” mentioning he’s had “two back surgeries” and spends about 20 seconds stretching at the front of the car.
Before starting the tests, the deputy asked Romo if he had any recent head injuries or concussions.
Romo smiles and briefly laughs, saying, “Over the years, yes, but not recently.”
The deputy then began giving Romo instructions, and he asked several questions as the tests began. Over more than 12 minutes, Kaur leads Romo through various tests, repeating the instructions multiple times as Romo interrupts. In one, he is asked to follow a pen with his eyes while keeping his head still. In another, he is told to walk in a straight line, heel-to-toe, while counting his steps. During that portion, Romo removed his sandals, placed his hands on his lower back at times, and bent over to do what appeared to be a stretch, again mentioning his back surgeries to the deputies.
Eventually, the deputy stopped the tests and asked Romo if he would submit to a “PBT,” which the deputies explained is a “machine you blow in” or “a preliminary breath test.”
“It does not determine the results of my test,” said Kaur.
“Oh no. We’re not doing that,” Romo responded, adding, “I’ve heard from multiple lawyers, ‘Don’t ever do that.'”
“Did I pass this test?” Romo asks. The deputy told him he was under arrest, and he was placed back in handcuffs.
A Milwaukee County Sheriff’s Office report detailing the stop said Romo “performed poorly” on the “SFSTs,” or standardized field sobriety tests, but did not provide any additional detail.
According to court records obtained by our partners at The Dallas Morning News, Romo received a citation Monday for refusal to take a test for intoxication.
The Milwaukee County District Attorney’s Office told the paper that it is considered a traffic violation. According to a 2018 Wisconsin Legislative Reference Bureau document, a first-time operating while intoxicated offense is considered a civil infraction, not a criminal charge.
NBC 5 emailed a talent agency associated with Romo on Friday after news broke of his arrest and again on Tuesday after obtaining the video. They have not responded to our requests for comment.
A court appearance has been set for Sept. 21.
