Josh Brent, a Dallas Cowboys defensive tackle, is due in court this morning after being charged with manslaughter on Saturday, when the car he was driving crashed and killed teammate Jerry Brown Jr.
According to Dallas, TX, police, 24-year-old Brent was speeding on a state highway at 2:21 a.m. Saturday when the car slammed into an outside curb, which caused it to flip before landing in the middle of the road.
Brown, who was in the passenger seat, was later pronounced dead at a local hospital. According to police reports, Brent had minor scrapes and was booked into the Irving jail to await arraignment.
At a news conference, Irving police spokesman John Argumaniz said Brent was given a sobriety test and:
“Officers at the scene believed alcohol was a contributing factor in the crash [...] Based on the results and the officer’s observations and conversations with Price-Brent, he was arrested for driving while intoxicated.”
Spokesman Arguamaniz also explained that when police arrived at the accident, part of the car was on fire. The 2007 Mercedes sedan was upside down in the road, and Brent was pulling Brown out of the burning car.
Based on damage done to the car, police believe Brent was driving above the 45-mile per hour speed limit. According to Champaign, Illinois, county records, Brent was also arrested for drunk driving on February 23, 2009.
“I am devastated and filled with grief,” Brent said in a statement released by his agent Saturday night. “Filled with grief for the loss of my close friend and teammate, Jerry Brown. I am also grief-stricken for his family, friends and all who were blessed enough to have known him.”
“I will live with this horrific and tragic loss every day for the rest of my life. My prayers are with his family, our teammates and his friends at this time.”
Twenty-five year-old Brown was a linebacker on the Cowboys’s professional practice squad but did not play any games with the Cowboys. However, he did play in one NFL game for the Indianapolis Colts this season before joining the Cowboys.
Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones issued a statement expressing his condolences:
“We are deeply saddened by the news of this accident and the passing of Jerry Brown. Our hearts and prayers and deepest sympathies are with the members of Jerry’s family and all of those who knew him and loved him.”
