‘On Drugs or Something’? Dave Portnoy Puts Tony Romo on Blast After ‘Nonsensical’ Bills-Jaguars Call

Dave Portnoy did not play nice when Tony Romo came up. On Monday, Jan. 12, the Barstool Sports founder went on FS1’s “Wake Up Barstool” and 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 made the comment during a segment with FOX analyst Greg Olsen, using Olsen’s presence as a setup to pile on Romo’s already rough weekend. Portnoy framed it as a comparison between networks, then doubled down when Olsen did not bite.Portnoy opened by complimenting Olsen, then steered straight into 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 return fire. According to coverage of the segment, he gave a small reaction, then ended the hit without adding anything that would keep the Romo clip alive. That left Portnoy to own the comment on air.“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 the centerpiece of the backlash. One recap of the broadcast noted Romo opened the game alongside Jim Nantz by trying to frame Jacksonville as an upset threat, while also acknowledging 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.Portnoy was loud, but he was not alone. Social media criticism hit Romo throughout the broadcast, especially for moments where 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 hes 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.”And the Josh Allen praise sparked its own wave of eye-rolls. One post read: “Tony Romo loves Josh Allen more than his own family.”The game itself gave Romo plenty to work with. Buffalo won 27-24, and Allen scored the go-ahead touchdown to finish it. But the story coming out of the broadcast was not Allen’s late score. It was the booth.That is why Portnoy’s clip spread so fast. His wording was extreme, but it landed on top of criticism that was already trending, and it came with a clean visual: Olsen sitting there, not taking the bait, while Portnoy kept pushing.Portnoy’s comment also taps into a bigger media conversation that has been bubbling for a while. Multiple outlets have noted Romo’s reputation has been sliding for years, and that the volume of backlash is now loud enough that CBS will keep hearing it. One piece even floated that CBS could eventually face real internal pressure about its No. 1 analyst spot, especially with other high-profile names mentioned as potential future options.Romo is still CBS’ lead analyst. But after this weekend, he is also the lead topic, and that is the kind of attention networks never ask for.