Ex-NFL tackle Brent released from jail

Associated Press

DALLAS

Former Dallas Cowboys tackle Josh Brent was released from jail on Sunday following his conviction for a drunken car crash that killed his friend and teammate, Jerry Brown, the Dallas County sheriff’s office said.

The 26-year-old Brent was convicted in January of intoxication manslaughter for the December 2012 crash that killed Jerry Brown, a Cowboys practice squad player. He was sentenced to 180 days in jail and 10 years’ probation. It was not immediately clear whether he would be required to report to a rehab facility to complete his six-month sentence, which was expected to end in July.

Brent crashed his Mercedes sedan on a suburban Dallas highway on the way back from a nightclub. Brown was in the passenger’s seat. Witnesses recalled seeing Brent trying to pull Brown from the wreckage of the vehicle.

Tests later showed Brent to have a blood-alcohol level of 0.18 percent, more than twice the legal limit for drivers in Texas.

Brent faced up to 20 years in prison for intoxication manslaughter, and prosecutors pressed hard for prison time, saying his case would send a message to other would-be drunken drivers.

But Brown’s mother, Stacey Jackson, testified she had forgiven Brent and that “you can’t go on in life holding a grudge.”