Did Tony Romo use the N-word during Bengals vs. Chiefs? Shannon Sharpe and NFL fans believe retired QB almost made huge blunder

During the AFC championship game between the Cincinnati Bengals and the Kansas City Chiefs, Tony Romo stopped just short of waving his broadcasting career goodbye. At least that's what some fans believe.

During the fourth quarter, Chiefs running back Isiah Pacheco was seemingly going to be tackled short after a minimal gain as three Bengals defenders converged on him after he caught a short pass from quarterback Patrick Mahomes. However, the running back managed to power through the tackle attempts and run for a huge gain.

#Chiefs rookie RB Isiah Pacheco catches the screen pass, breaks multiple tackles, & picks up 16 yards. #ChiefsKingdom https://t.co/RC8SQ5oOPX

While watching the replay of Pacheco's stunning play, Romo lauded the running back, saying:

"The extra yards. The tough yards. The finish on the play. Right there you got three ni...Talked about this. The best tackling team. They don't miss tackles. And that could be the difference."

The pause before switching to a completely different thought has some believing that Romo was about to say the n-word before reeling it in a moment before making a massive mistake.

Watch the video below:

Did Tony Romo almost say the N word? 😳

@VanLathan investigates (w/ @TheRachLindsay 😂) https://t.co/HQzih0UBgW

@JomiAdeniran @VanLathan @TheRachLindsay https://t.co/pZs2V8wsIj

@JomiAdeniran @VanLathan @TheRachLindsay I so hope that he wasn't really about to say that. Sounds like it, but could be a coincidental mistake.

@JomiAdeniran @VanLathan @TheRachLindsay I knew I wasn’t the only one who heard that

@JomiAdeniran @VanLathan @TheRachLindsay Romo definitely raps ALL the lyrics when he’s bumping music in the car. 🤣🤣🤣🤣

Tony Romo was about to say 3 n*ggas on live TV 😭 https://t.co/iLg1Jnh9Yw

I think Tony Romo wanted to say a racial slur. “You got three ___” Unacceptable. #CINatKC https://t.co/zdA0iPTHDn

BRUHHHHHH WTF DID TONY ROMO JUST SAY 🗣️😂‼️ https://t.co/ZZQENZzZEU

Pro Football Hall of Famer Shannon Sharpe also weighed in on the situation. He took to Twitter to explain that Romo may have had a momentary lapse in the heat of the situation:

"It's TV. You get hyped and forget sometimes where you are."

It’s 📺. You get hyped and 4get sometimes where you are. twitter.com/craig_head1/st…

Tony Romo and CBS yet to offer an explanation

Sharpe's tweet insinuates that Tony Romo was about to use the n-word in excitement but managed to contain it before he made what would have been a fatal mistake in his broadcasting career.

Romo's intentions are unclear, and neither the former Dallas Cowboys quarterback nor CBS have clarified the situation. Both parties will likely refrain from commenting about the situation unless and until they are forced to respond.

Romo is widely regarded as one of the best color commentators in the NFL, although some believe Greg Olsen is closing that gap quickly.

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