A Brief History
On December 8, 2012, Dallas Cowboys defensive lineman Josh Brent was driving drunk at high speed with fellow Cowboy, linebacker Jerry Brown, as a passenger. Brent lost control of his car when it hit a curb, flipping the car and catching on fire. Brent recovered from his injuries, but Brown died that same night.
Digging Deeper
Not only were the 2 men teammates on the Cowboys, but they had also both attended Illinois and were teammates there as well. Although emotional and devastated by the news, the Cowboys actually won their game against the Bengals the next day, 20-19.
Brent had a prior DUI in 2009, and was found to have been driving between 110 and 134 mph before the fatal crash. The speed limit was 45 mph. While Brent was awaiting trial he twice tested positive for marijuana, and when convicted of Intoxication Manslaughter he was sentenced to 180 days in jail and 10 years of probation. Brent’s career in football sputtered in 2013 (temporary retirement) and 2014, with few appearances in the second half of that season after serving his jail time. Brent’s retirement was announced in May of 2015, and the Cowboys hired him to work on their scouting staff.
If you think it odd that the Cowboys stuck with Brent despite his horrific lapse of character, it may well have been because of the pleas of Brown’s mother, who asked the Cowboys to keep Brent, apparently with the thought that Jerry Brown would have wanted Brent’s career to continue.
Question for students (and subscribers): Should the Cowboys have immediately fired Brent for causing the death of another person while drunk and driving almost triple the speed limit? Does the poor judgment shown by Brent by failing drug tests twice while on bail disqualify him from a job in the NFL where he and others are role models for young people? After all, Brent already had a prior DUI, how many breaks should he get? Please share your ideas on how the NFL and other sports leagues should handle first and second offense DUI’s and cases where such action caused a death in the comments section below this article.
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Historical Evidence
For more information, please see…
Harris, Cliff, Charlie Waters, et al. Tales from the Dallas Cowboys Sideline: A Collection of the Greatest Cowboys Stories Ever Told (Tales from the Team). Sports Publishing, 2016.
<span class="dsq-postid" data-dsqidentifier="12421 https://www.historyandheadlines.com/?p=12421">1 Comment
I love the cowboys with all my heart but no one should get as many breaks as this guy did, no one should be above the law! Also, it is a happy day that they won a game ( for once).