Josh Brent No Longer Allowed On Dallas Cowboys Sideline
By Josh Sanchez
Dec. 25, 2010; Glendale, AZ, USA; Dallas Cowboys nose tackle Josh Brent against the Arizona Cardinals at University of Phoenix Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
Dallas Cowboys nose tackle Josh Brent became the topic of discussion on Sunday when he was spotted on the Cowboys sideline despite facing intoxication manslaughter charges for a tragic accident that resulted in the death of his teammate Jerry Brown. While Cowboys owner Jerry Jones initially supported Brent being on the sideline, he has now decided it’s in everyone’s best interest for Brent to stay away.
Per ESPN’s Ed Werder, the NFL and the Cowboys are in agreement that Brent should no longer be present on the sideline.
Brent initially made the trip to Cowboys Stadium because his teammates urged him to be present. They were following the request of Brown’s mother, Stacey Jackson, who asked the team to stand behind Brent and provide him with the support he needs, despite being responsible for the death of her son.
"According to sources, Brent went to the game somewhat reluctantly. He was driven by a teammate on injured reserve who told Brent that all of his teammates wanted him to be there. Once Brent became aware that his presence was sparking a national debate, he left Cowboys Stadium in the third quarter."
The Cowboys organization wants it to be known that they will continue to support Brent, but he won’t be present on the sideline moving forward.
“It becomes a real sensitive topic to a lot of people when you’re in a public place like the game,” head coach Jason Garrett said. “There were no bad intentions other than to support Josh as part of our football team.
“This is a game and you need to be here. That’s what our players wanted to convey to him and they really encouraged him to come to the game. I thought Josh handled it beautifully the way that he came and then when he felt like there were some issues he felt the right thing to do was to leave. But we’re going to support him in every way that we can. We also will be sensitive to this kind of issue.”