ARLINGTON, Texas -- It was an image more stunning than Dez Bryant playing with a broken finger or Ben Roethlisberger using a pump-spin to set up a sweet touchdown pass.
Josh Brent, standing on the Dallas Cowboys sideline.
This is the man who was behind the wheel during the alcohol-related crash not far from MADD headquarters last weekend that cost practice squad linebacker Jerry Brown his life.
Yet there he was during Sunday's game at Cowboys Stadium, dressed in a team-issued sweat jacket and ball cap, still a card-carrying member of the team that wore No. 53 decals on their helmets and also honored Brown with a pre-game moment of silence.
He can't play. The Cowboys placed the third-year defensive tackle on the non-football illness list, and if not, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell likely would have benched him under the personal conduct policy. Brent, whose blood-alcohol level, The Dallas Morning News reported, measured at 0.18 -- more than twice the legal limit in Texas -- is facing intoxication manslaughter charges that could be punishable with a 20-year prison sentence.
Yet rather than ostracize Brent, who drove drunk rather than calling the safe-ride program provided by the players union or a similar resource provided by the team, the Cowboys have welcomed him back with open arms.
This, too, is striking in the image-conscious NFL. How many times have we seen teams distance themselves from players in trouble at the drop of a hat? The Cowboys, processing a wide range of emotions over the past week, probably would not have drawn much flak had they quietly left Brent to deal with his legal issues.
The team is following the lead of Brown's forgiving mother, Stacey Jackson, who went to a Tuesday memorial service arm-in-arm with Brent, and told players that they should support the man charged for her son's death. Not everyone can agree with how far to go with such benevolence.
I've criticized an NFL alcohol policy that doesn't even suspend a player busted for his first DUI offense, providing a death isn't involved. In conjunction with the players union, the league needs a tougher policy that demonstrates more leadership in addressing a societal issue. But on this matter, I can't fault the Cowboys for trying to have some heart.
On the CBS set at halftime of the Cowboys-Steelers game, Boomer Esiason couldn't as much as stomach the sight of Brent on the sideline.
"I think it's the wrong move," Esiason said. "It's insensitive. It sends a really bad message."
Not totally. Brent will get his day in court, and he'll live the rest of his life knowing his role in the death of his best friend. The Cowboys sent a message, too, that they are all-in with their support and apparent concern for Brent's mental state.
I know what Cowboys owner Jerry Jones thinks.
"What good is a friend, if he's not there when you really need him?" Jones told me the other day.
Jones is putting his money where his mouth is. Nearly two decades ago, with a rash of off-the-field incidents involving players, he committed extensive resources to establish a player-support system. When he placed the D-tackle on the reserve list last week, he maintained a key reason was to ensure that Brent could receive counseling services.
Brent needs his employer like he might have never imagined. Let's hope that support includes alcohol rehab, with this tragedy following an alcohol-related arrest when he was in college. In recent days, Brent has been at the team's headquarters, where he still has a locker, engaging with counselors, trainers, coaches and, of course, teammates. There was no debate within the team's hierarchy about whether to have him on the sideline.
There's a message in this for the rest of the players, too. The Cowboys talk a lot about being a family. That's always such a sticky idea in the cut-throat NFL, where players come and go, get used up and ultimately discarded -- sometimes as cold salary-cap causalities.
But in this case, there's a family member in serious need of some support -- especially now, so close to the tragedy.
Copyright 2012 USATODAY.com
No comments:
Post a Comment