Josh Brent retires from NFL
Josh Brent was charged with DUI manslaughter after an accident last December.
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With a ruling on his status with the NFL looming after his arrest on a charge of intoxicated manslaughter in the death of teammate Jerry Brown Jr. last year, Dallas Cowboys defensive tackle Josh Brent will announce his retirement, his agent Peter Schaffer told FOX Sports.
Brent, 25, was recently sent back to jail after testing positive for marijuana twice while on bond. He was released from jail earlier this month. The Dallas County district attorney's office asked a judge to revoke his bond following those failed tests.
In a statement released through the Cowboys, Brent said his career is not his main focus right now.
“This is the right decision for me, and something that I have given a lot of thought to,” the seventh-round pick of the 2010 NFL supplemental draft said. “I am at a point where my main focus is all about getting the priorities in my life in order. Those priorities are more important than football. Doing the right things in life are more important than football. I love the game very much. I love my teammates, but this is the right thing for me to do."
The Cowboys continue to support Brent through this process.
"I think it's a good decision for him," coach Jason Garrett said during a Cowboys Stadium appearance at a charity-based football clinic. "It's a traumatic time . . . He's a great young man who made a mistake."
Added owner Jerry Jones, also in attendance at the clinic: "We've wanted to be very supportive. We're trying to help a 'family' member."
League spokesman Greg Aiello told FOX Sports earlier this week he expected Brent's situation to be "resolved." Brent has resolved it for himself — for now.
"There is no action for us to take at this point," Aiello wrote in an email following Brent's announcement.
On Dec. 8, 2012, the eve of the Cowboys' departure for a road game, Brent – who'd moved into a starting role on the Dallas defensive line — was intoxicated when he flipped his 2007 Mercedes Benz with Brown inside. Brown died at the scene. The arrest report showed Brent's blood-alcohol level to be 0.18, more than twice the legal limit.
He faces up to 20 years in prison if convicted of intoxicated manslaughter, though he could also get probation.
TROUBLE WITH THE LAW
Several NFL players have been arrested in the offseason. Take a peek at who made the list.The Cowboys will place Brent, who is facing a Sept. 23 trial date, on their reserve/retired list and will retain his rights should he decide to resume his career in the future.
"In my mind, (the retirement) speaks for itself," Jones said. "He basically wants to concentrate on where he should be concentrating on in his life."
Jay Ratliff and Jason Hatcher are expected to serve as the starting defensive tackles in the team's new 4-3 alignment, with veteran Sean Lissemore also pushing for time.
FOXSportsSouthwest.com and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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