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Tony Romo can’t seem to stop going viral during tough NFL broadcast times.
A week after the former NFL quarterback was criticized by fans for making strange noises while analyzing a play, the CBS color commentator drew attention again during the New England Patriots-Tampa Bay Buccaneers game.
Romo was describing the Patriots, now 8-2 under Mike Vrabel after a 28-23 win over the Buccaneers, when he used a phrase that some viewers took out of context.
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Tony Romo on “The Drew Barrymore Show” before Super Bowl LVIII. (Gail Schulman/CBS via Getty Images)
“This team is DTF, Jim,” Romo told his broadcast partner, Jim Nantz. “Details, tenacity and they finish.”
Nantz responded, “That’s very close to what Vrabel tells them too,” before adding that his “T” in Romo’s acronym would stand for “technical.”
However, many people on social media interpreted the acronym differently, referencing the NSFW phrase popularized by the MTV reality show “Jersey Shore.”“. NFL insider Albert Breer noted the connection in an article on X.
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“Tony Romo just said the Patriots are DTF…I guess he didn’t see [MTV’s] Jersey Shore?” Breer wrote.
On the “Jersey Coast”,” Cast members used “DTF” to refer to a sexual encounter, which caused confusion — and laughter — among fans watching the show.
However, according to Romo, the Patriots embodied his version of “DTF” by extending their winning streak to seven in Vrabel’s first season as head coach. Quarterback Drake Maye, an early MVP candidate, was 16 of 31 for 270 yards with touchdown passes to Kyle Williams and Stefon Diggs. Rookie running back TreVeyon Henderson also had an outstanding performance, totaling 147 yards on 14 carries with two touchdowns.
Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo (9) during a game against the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field on January 1, 2017. (Bill Streicher/USA TODAY Sports)
Last week, Romo and Nantz were on the call for the Buffalo Bills-Kansas City Chiefs game, when Romo drew attention for making distracting noises while describing a holding penalty on the Bills.
“Tony Romo is once again making highly suspicious sounds,” wrote one X user.
Romo has faced a lot of scrutiny since his transition from the playing field to the broadcast booth. Before Super Bowl LVIII, he responded to some criticism.
“It’s a normal path in someone’s career,” he said at the time. “Honestly, I think a lot of people were against Mahomes because he was there. They want to see new people.
Super Bowl LVIII on Sunday, February 11, 2024, at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Mary Kouw/CBS)
“It’s just part of an arc when you do something at a very high level. I think it’s normal. The same thing happens in football. You become dominant in things, and then all of a sudden people say ‘OK’. Then at the end, Tiger Woods comes back and everyone supports you. It’s just a normal arc of a career. It’s not abnormal. It’s absolutely what’s supposed to happen.”
Romo joined CBS Sports in 2017 as a senior analyst for the NFL Network after a 14-year career as quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys.
