Many are reporting that the Cowboys' Josh Brent has been arrested today for intoxication manslaughter, and that the victim of the crash was Jerry Brown Jr., a Cowboys practice squad player. Brent is a nose tackle with three years of experience (profile here); Brown Jr. was a 23 25-year-old linebacker.
A definition of intoxication manslaughter, from dfwdwi.com:
Texas law states that if a person commits an offense if a person operates a motor vehicle in a public place while intoxicated and by reason of that intoxication causes the death of another by accident or mistake.
Bill Barnwell notes that the two played together in college:
We'll continue updating as more information becomes available.
Update, 3:13 p.m.: CBS Dallas-Fort Worth's Richie Whitt says the two players were together last night:
Update, 3:22 p.m.: RotoWorld lists Brown as a member of the Cowboys, but the Indianapolis Star's Mike Chappell notes that he'd appeared in a game for the Colts this year:
Update, 3:27 p.m: The Irving PD released this report (via Matthew Haag of the Dallas Morning News):
Update, 3:40 p.m.: Many have noted Brent's previous DUI problems. The AP report of his 2009 suspension from the University of Illinois football team:
Illinois coach Ron Zook says defensive tackle Josh Brent has been suspended from the team indefinitely after his arrest over the weekend.
Illinois State Police say Brent was arrested early Saturday in Urbana for driving under the influence. A Champaign County Jail official says Brent has posted bond and been released.
Zook says in a release Sunday that Brent is suspended until the team can "gather all the facts."
This report, about the Cowboys picking Brent in the seventh round of the 2010 NFL Draft, says that he'd been declared academically ineligible for his senior season at Illinois.
Update, 3:50 p.m.: A screenshot of Jerry Brown's profile page at FightingIllini.com [click to expand]:
Update, 4:55 p.m.: A statement from Jerry Jones, and a little more about Brown, from the Dallas Morning News:
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones issued a statement regarding the incident.
"We are deeply saddened by the news of this accident and the passing of Jerry Brown. 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."
Brown joined the Cowboys in October following the release of wide receiver Raymond Radway. Prior to that, Brown had been with the Indianapolis Colts, where he rotated between the practice squad and regular roster.
He is originally from St. Louis. He was a defensive lineman at the University of Illinois and was undrafted out of college.