Cowboys ban Josh Brent from sidelines
After Sunday’s Dallas Cowboys versus Pittsburgh Steelers game, the Cowboys received a lot of criticism for letting their suspended nose tackle Josh Brent sit on the sideline during the game.
Brent currently faces an intoxication manslaughter charge in the drunk-driving death of teammate Jerry Brown. The move to have Brent on the sideline was supported by Brown’s mother.
Even though players who are normally put on the non-injury/reserve list are allowed to sit on the sidelines, this situation was a bit diffferent. The NFL let the team make the decision to let Brent sit on the bench during the game.
“It becomes a real sensitive topic to a lot of people when you’re in a public place like the game,” coach Jason Garrett said Monday. “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.”
Brent has said that it was an accident and the death of his teammate was not in anyway intentional. It’s obviously a tough situation for both Brent and the Cowboys organization. His presence at the game attracted much unwanted attention and banning Brent from being able to sit on the sidelines at future games may be for the best when it comes to setting an example.
