Cowboys defensive tackle Josh Brent was on the sideline during Sunday’s game against the Steelers, even though he is currently facing intoxication manslaughter charges for a car crash that killed teammate Jerry Brown. But Brent isn’t welcome on the Cowboys’ sideline anymore.
Ed Werder of ESPN reports that both the Cowboys and the NFL are in agreement that it was not appropriate to have Brent on the sideline and it won’t happen again.
It’s odd, however, that the Cowboys would be in agreement that Brent shouldn’t be on the sideline, considering that Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said after the game that Brent belonged there with his teammates, and that Brown’s mother supported having Brent on the sideline.
But while Jones may have defended having Brent on the sideline after the fact, inviting Brent to be there wasn’t Jones’s decision. In fact, Jones didn’t even know Brent was there until Jones spotted Brent standing near the bench, after the game had started. According to Werder, a Cowboys player on injured reserve brought Brent with him to the game without clearing it with Jones, head coach Jason Garrett or anyone else.
The Cowboys were harshly criticized, most notably by Boomer Esiason on CBS, which broadcast the game, for having Brent there. Fans also expressed dismay on social media at the sight of a man who had been accused of driving drunk and killing someone standing on the sideline, smiling and enjoying the game. And Brent apparently left in the third quarter after he had been informed that his presence was described as inappropriate by some who saw him there.
Now Brent won’t be there anymore.