Jack Del Rio arrest: Former NFL coach resigns from Wisconsin after drunk-driving incident
Former Wisconsin football staff member Jack Del Rio was arrested Friday for operating a vehicle while intoxicated, according to ESPN’s Adam Rittenburg.
The former NFL head coach was involved in an incident in Madison, Wisc. during the early morning hours of Friday, Nov. 8.
Del Rio, 61, was the senior advisor to Wisconsin head coach Luke Fickell. He previously coached in the NFL from 1997 to 2023, holding the head coaching role with the Jaguars from 2003 to 2011 and the Raiders from 2015 to 2017. He most recently was with the Commanders as the team’s defensive coordinator before he was fired midseason last year.
Here is more to know about Del Rio’s arrest.
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Jack Del Rio arrest details
Del Rio was arrested for operating a vehicle while intoxicated following a crash in Madison.
According to ESPN, a vehicle registered to Del Rio struck a street sign, broke a fence and came to rest in a yard in a residential neighborhood. The police report said witnesses directed the officers to Del Rio, who was walking away from the area.
The police said that Del Rio “showed signs of impairment” and admitted to driving the vehicle. He was arrested for a first-time OWI (operating while intoxicated) and released.
No injuries were reported.
At first, the university released a statement acknowledging the news with Del Rio.
“Wisconsin Athletics is aware of the incident involving football staff member Jack Del Rio,” the school said in a statement. “We take matters like this very seriously and we are continuing to gather information.”
Shortly after, Fickell revealed that Wisconsin was electing to part ways with Del Rio following his arrest.
“He’s going to move forward and he’s going to resign and move on,” Fickell said on Monday. “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.”
Here’s Fickell’s opening statement on Del Rio. pic.twitter.com/FwfKD6VDF3
— Anderley Penwell (@anderleytv) November 11, 2024
Del Rio was in his first season as a senior advisor to Fickell. He was hired by the university in August and according to ESPN, his plan was to “work with both the offense and defense at Wisconsin.”
This is a developing story and will be updated