Following his release on bail from the devastating car crash that killed his teammate and friend Jerry Brown, Dallas Cowboys defensive tackle was on the sidelines with the team during Sunday's game against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
The move apparently surprised many Dallas Cowboys officials, including owner Jerry Jones and head coach Jason Garrett, and the team has decided now to bar Brent from the sideline for future games and the remained of the season, according to sources who spoke to ESPN.com.
Brent is currently on the reserve/non-football injury list and the Cowboys along with the NFL agreed that it was not appropriate for him to be on the sidelines at the game.
Brent was charged with intoxication manslaughter two weeks ago in the car crash that killed teammate Jerry Brown and left the game against the Steelers in the third quarter saying he did not want to be a distraction to the team.
According to ESPN.com, Brent must now wear an electronic ankle monitor and was ordered not to consume alcohol or drive until he has a valid Texas license. The judge said to Brent at his hearing on Tuesday that any violation of the terms of his release will have him sent back to jail.
The Cowboys are in a unique position, because usually reserve/non-football listed players are allowed to be on the sidelines for games, but clearly this situation is different.
According to ESPN.com, Brent originally was encouraged to attend the game by his teammates and had spoken to Garrett the day before the game, but did not mention that he would be present.
"I actually talked to Josh on Saturday and visited with him over the phone for a little while, just checked in with him to see how he was doing, if he needed anything from us," Garrett said, according to ESPN.com. "Again, he was working through a lot of different things in his life, and just to let him know we support him. Our players have been over to his house, and they've been in contact with him and very close to him. So, you know, I didn't actually know he was going to be at the game. But again, we're trying to handle it day by day and work our way through it. We'll have some more discussions about that going forward."
According to the article, Jerry Brown's mother Stacey spoke to many of the players and asked them to support Brent during this time.
"It becomes a real sensitive topic to a lot of people when you're in a public place like the game," 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."
Following the game, Jerry Jones supported the idea that Brent was at the game, but now the team seems to be changing its tune on the issue.
"Our team and our players wanted him today on the sideline," Cowboys owner/general manager Jerry Jones said following Dallas' 27-24 victory. "Jerry's mother asked us directly as a group. She said, 'Support him. Help him. He needs your help. Jerry wants that. I want that.' His teammates asked him to come and be down there with them, and that's where we are."
The game was nationally televised and the announcing crew as well as fans on social media criticized the team for allowing him to be one the sidelines for the game.
The Cowboys are at a crucial moment in their season after defeating the Steelers for their fifth win in six games. The team is in a three-way tie with the Redskins and Giants in the NFC East and is also still alive for a Wild Card game.
Dallas hosts the New Orleans Saints on Sunday and must win to stay alive in the playoff race. The team finishes the season with a road game against the Washington Redskins that could decide the NFC East division.
The Cowboys have played well in the second half of the season after dropping to 3-5, winning two straight against Philadelphia and Cleveland before losing to Washington 38-31. The team has won its last two games, including a 20-19 win over the Cincinnati Bengals two weeks ago.
Brent had 22 tackles this season before the accident. In his career he has registered 44 tackles, one forced fumble and 1.5 sacks while playing in 39 games, including 12 this season.
