According to the newly released footage, Deputy R. Kaur approached Romo’s vehicle and informed him why he had been stopped. The former quarterback appeared surprised by the encounter and, at times, seemed to struggle hearing or understanding the deputy’s questions.
When asked where he had been, Romo explained he was leaving a golf course and heading to “meet grandma and grandpa.”
The deputy then asked a question that quickly became the focus of the encounter.
Asked how many alcoholic drinks he had consumed, Romo answered simply, “zero.”
As the investigation continued, Deputy Kaur requested that Romo perform standardized field sobriety tests. Instead of immediately complying, Romo indicated that he wanted to contact his attorney before proceeding.
Deputies repeatedly instructed him to step out of the SUV, but Romo continued asking to call his lawyer. Deputy Kaur responded that he could not make that call at that stage because the stop had become an OWI investigation.
Before exiting the vehicle, Romo began recording the interaction with his cellphone and challenged the deputy’s reasoning.
“Because I’m coming from a golf course you think I’m drunk?” Romo asked before stepping out of the vehicle.
Deputies then placed him in handcuffs, explaining that he was being temporarily detained while they moved him from the bridge to a safer, level location where field sobriety testing could be conducted.
The first bodycam recording ends with Romo riding inside the deputy’s squad vehicle to a nearby police station.
A second video picks up after arriving at the station, where Deputy Kaur outlined the observations that led her to suspect impairment.
According to the deputy, Romo displayed “red, glassy eyes” and “the odor of an intoxicating alcoholic beverage from your breath.”
She also informed him that deputies had located “a few shooters,” referring to small containers of alcohol, inside one of his bags.
Romo immediately questioned the claim.
“Any of them drank?” Romo asked.
The deputy did not answer the question and instead instructed him to begin the field sobriety exercises.
Before starting, Romo requested a brief moment to loosen up, explaining that the drive had aggravated lingering back problems from previous injuries.
He stretched for roughly 20 seconds before the deputy asked another routine question.
Kaur asked Romo whether he had any recent head injuries or concussions.
Romo smiled before responding, “Over the years, yes, but not recently.”
The next several minutes consisted of standard field sobriety testing. Romo was instructed to follow a pen with his eyes, balance on one leg, and complete a walk-and-turn exercise while counting his steps.
Throughout portions of the examination, Romo interrupted to ask questions as Deputy Kaur repeated the instructions. At one point, he removed his sandals and stretched again, placing his hands on his lower back while mentioning previous back surgeries.
After more than a dozen minutes of testing, Deputy Kaur requested that Romo submit to a breath test.
His answer was immediate.
“Oh no. We’re not doing that,” Romo responded. “I’ve heard from multiple lawyers, ‘Don’t ever do that.’ So, we’re not going to do that.”
Moments later, Romo asked the deputy, “Did I pass this test?”
Instead of answering directly, Deputy Kaur informed him that he was under arrest before placing him back in handcuffs.
According to the Milwaukee County Sheriff’s Office report, Romo “performed poorly” during the standardized field sobriety tests, although the report did not publicly provide additional details explaining that conclusion.
Court records later showed that Romo received a citation for refusing to submit to a chemical intoxication test.
The Milwaukee County District Attorney’s Office has reportedly classified the matter as a traffic violation rather than a criminal offense. Under Wisconsin law, a first-offense OWI is generally handled as a civil infraction rather than a criminal charge.
NBC 5 reported that it contacted a talent agency associated with Romo after news of the arrest became public and again after obtaining the body camera footage, but no response was received.
Romo is scheduled to appear in court on September 21.
The former Cowboys quarterback spent his entire NFL career in Dallas from 2004 through 2016 before transitioning into broadcasting, where he quickly became one of CBS Sports’ highest-profile NFL analysts.
With the release of the bodycam footage, what might have otherwise remained a routine celebrity traffic stop has become a highly publicized legal matter.
The videos show Romo consistently denying that he had been drinking, questioning why deputies believed he was impaired, and refusing to submit to a breath test. Law enforcement, meanwhile, maintains that his appearance, the evidence collected during the stop, and his performance during field sobriety testing justified the arrest.
The next chapter of the case will play out in court, where the facts surrounding the stop and the evidence gathered by investigators are expected to receive closer legal scrutiny.
