Brent facing intoxication manslaughter charge after wreck kills teammate

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IRVING - Police charged Cowboys defensive lineman Josh Brent with intoxication manslaughter Saturday after he flipped his car in a pre-dawn accident that killed teammate Jerry Brown.

Irving police spokesman John Argumaniz said the accident happened about 2:20 a.m. Saturday in the Dallas suburb, hours before Brent was to be on a team flight to Cincinnati for Sunday's game against the Bengals.

Argumaniz said Brown, 25, a practice-squad linebacker who also was Brent's teammate at Illinois for three seasons, was found unresponsive at the scene and pronounced dead at a hospital.

"We are deeply saddened by the news of this accident and the passing of Jerry Brown," Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said in a statement. "At this time, 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."

Officers conducted a field sobriety test on Brent and arrested him on suspicion of driving while intoxicated, Argumaniz said. The charge, a second-degree felony punishable by two to 20 years in prison, was upgraded after Brown was pronounced dead.

Speed a factor

FILE - In this 2012 file photo, Josh Brent of the Dallas Cowboys NFL football team is shown. Brent is facing an intoxication manslaughter charge after a one-vehicle accident that killed teammate Jerry Brown, a member of the team's practice squad. Irving police spokesman John Argumaniz said the accident happened about 2:20 a.m. in Saturday, Dec. 7, 2012, in the Dallas suburb. (AP Photo/File) less FILE - In this 2012 file photo, Josh Brent of the Dallas Cowboys NFL football team is shown. Brent is facing an intoxication manslaughter charge after a one-vehicle accident that killed teammate Jerry Brown, a ... more Photo: Uncredited, FRE Photo: Uncredited, FRE Image 1 of / 3 Caption Close Brent facing intoxication manslaughter charge after wreck kills teammate 1 / 3 Back to Gallery

Argumaniz said Brent, who pleaded guilty to a drunken driving charge three years ago, was being held without bond. Argumaniz also said Brent missed a 10 a.m. Saturday booking session with a judge because he was intoxicated. He did not know if Brent had an attorney.

Brent was speeding when the vehicle hit a curb and flipped at least once, Argumaniz said. Police received 911 calls from motorists who saw the upside-down vehicle but they did not immediately have any eyewitnesses to the wreck, the police spokesman said.

Argumaniz said when officers arrived at the scene on a state highway service road, Brent was dragging Brown from the vehicle, a Mercedes, which was on fire. Officers quickly put out the small blaze, he said. Argumaniz added that it wasn't known how fast the vehicle was traveling. The road has a 45 mph limit.

"I can say investigators are certain they were traveling well above the posted speed limit," Argumaniz said.

Not first run-in with law

Before he was taken to the jail, Brent, who Argumaniz said identified himself to officers as a Cowboys player, went to a hospital for a blood draw for alcohol testing and also received treatment for some minor scrapes.

In June 2009, Brent pleaded guilty to DUI stemming from an arrest near the Illinois campus some four months earlier and was sentenced to 60 days in jail, two years of probation, 200 hours of community service and a fine of about $2,000. He successfully completed his probation in July 2011, court records show.

Brent, a nose guard, has played in all 12 games this season and has been a bigger presence on defense with starter Jay Ratliff battling injuries. Brent made his first career start in the season opener against the Giants and has 35 tackles and 11/2 sacks.

The Cowboys signed Brown to their practice squad Oct. 24, but he hadn't been on the active roster. He was released from the Colts' practice squad Oct. 20 after playing in one game.