Former NFL Coach Charged With DUI After Crash

Jack Del Rio, an NFL alum and coach for more than two decades, has been charged with operating a vehicle while intoxicated. Hours after his arrest, Del Rio announced he was leaving his current job in the middle of the season. 

According to a police report obtained by USA Today, Del Rio was driving in Madison, Wisconsin in the early morning hours of Nov. 8 when he crashed his car into a street sign and broke a fence before stopping in someone's yard. When police arrived, they reportedly found him looking impaired and took him in on a charge of first-offense operating while intoxicated. 

Del Rio stepped down from his role as senior advisor with the University of Wisconsin football team on Nov. 11. "He's going to move forward and he's going to resign and move on," Wisconsin Badgers head coach Luke Fickell told reporters. "But it's a tough situation. Decisions that all of us have to be able to take full responsibility for. So that's what Jack will do, and we'll continue to move forward."

Del Rio, meanwhile, shared his gratitude for his most recent position in a statement to USA Today. "I’m grateful to Coach Fickell and the University of Wisconsin for the opportunity to work with such a talented coaching and support staff and some of the best young football players in the country," he said. "I have decided to step away from my position with the team so they can focus all their attention on the remainder of the season."

Del Rio's relationship with football dates back decades. He joined the New Orleans Saints in 1985 and went on to play for the Kansas City Chiefs, the Dallas Cowboys, and the Minnesota Vikings before retiring from the NFL in 1996. He went on to serve as head coach for the Jacksonville Jaguars and Oakland Raiders and maintain other coaching and coordinator jobs over the years with the Denver Broncos and Washington Commanders.