Josh Brent Rejoins Cowboys After Tragic Crash
By Shawn Lealos
The Dallas Cowboys announced on Tuesday, Nov. 11, that they were officially activating Josh Brent to their active 53-man roster. While he may not play immediately, the Cowboys will give him every chance to get his life back on track after his actions resulted in the death of his close friend and Dallas Cowboys' teammate almost three years ago.
In December 2012, Josh Brent got behind the wheel of his car along with his best friend and Dallas Cowboys teammate Jerry Brown. Brent had been drinking and the wheel of his car hit a curb, causing it to flip at least once before coming to rest in the middle of a service road. Brent was responsive at the site of the accident but his friend Brown was unresponsive and pronounced dead at the hospital.
Police arrested Josh Brent for DWI but the charges were changed to intoxicated manslaughter when Brown died. Brent's blood-alcohol-level tested at 0.18, which is twice the state's legal limit for driving. This was also Brent's second drinking related incident, although the first resulted in a DUI and no one was hurt. This time around, his drinking and driving ended the life of his closest friend and changed his life forever.
In January 2014, Brent was found guilty of intoxicated manslaughter. The family of Jerry Brown asked for leniency for Brent and wanted to move on from the tragedy, While Brent could have faced up to 20 years in prison for the incident, the judge sentenced him to 180 days in jail and 10 years of probation for the accident. He was also fined $10,000.
Josh Brent was released from prison in June and reported to a rehab facility. He worked on both alcohol responsibility as well as the emotional devastation he faced after causing the death of his friend. Brent and Brown were college teammates and roommates when they joined the Dallas Cowboys. For their part, the Cowboys remained involved in Brent's life, offering their support for his rehabilitation.
In September, the NFL reached a decision on his punishment and suspended Brent for the first 10 games of the 2014 NFL season. They also banned him from team activities until after the sixth week and he couldn't visit the team's facilities except to meet with those involved with his rehab process. The NFL also mandated that Brent can have no further altercation with the law and he can face banishment from the NFL for any alcohol-related conduct.
Josh Brent has re-joined the Dallas Cowboys and the team activated him to the main roster this week. Cowboys head coach Jason Garrett said that Brent is not in NFL shape right now and must improve his conditioning to get back onto the field, but he has a chance to finally return to the game in the next few weeks. The actions of Josh Brent resulted in the death of his closest friend, but he now has a chance to reclaim his own life. His future is now in his own hands.
For more Cowboys news and updates, visit Cowboys Central.
Shawn S. Lealos is a freelance writer who graduated from the University of Oklahoma in 2000 with a Bachelor's Degree in Journalism. He writes for a variety of national publications and has over 15 years of sports journalism experience. Follow Shawn on Twitter @sslealos. Examiner.com.
