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Former NFL coach Jack Del Rio is resigning as Wisconsin’s senior adviser following his arrest on OWI charges

by November 11, 2024

Jack Del Rio joined the Wisconsin football team this year after being fired as the Washington Commanders’ defensive coordinator last season. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa, File)

Jack Del Rio is stepping down from his role as senior adviser to the Wisconsin football program. The former NFL coach was arrested early Friday on charges of driving a vehicle while intoxicated following a crash in Madison, Wisconsin.

“He’s going to move on and step back and move on,” Wisconsin head coach Luke Fickell told reporters at his news conference Monday. “But it is a difficult situation. Decisions for which we must all be able to take full responsibility. So that’s what Jack is going to do and we’re going to keep moving forward.”

Before Fickell announced Del Rio’s resignation, school administrators issued a statement saying they were aware of the incident and were taking the matter very seriously.

According to Madison police, Del Rio, 61, was arrested around 12:35 a.m. Friday after he drove his vehicle into a street sign, crashed through a fence and stopped in a yard. Witnesses directed officers arriving at the scene of the accident to Del Rio, who had exited the vehicle and was walking away from the scene.

Officers said Del Rio “showed signs of impairment” and admitted in the incident report to driving the crashed vehicle. No injuries were reported at the scene of the accident. He was first arrested at the scene and eventually released.

“We still have a few weeks left in the season, there are a lot of things we have to keep fighting for and no one wants to take that away from us, whether it’s me or Jack or anyone in our football program,” Fickell added. “We’re going to move on from that.”

Del Rio was hired by Fickell in late August to work with the Badgers’ offense and defense, as well as help with recruiting and serve as a sounding board for the head coach. It was Del Rio’s first job in college football after nearly 40 years in the NFL as a player and coach.

Last season, Del Rio was fired as the Washington Commanders’ defensive coordinator after Week 12. At the time of his firing, the Commanders’ defense was ranked 32nd in the NFL.

He coached seven NFL teams, including as defensive coordinator for the Carolina Panthers, Denver Broncos and Commanders, and as head coach for the Jacksonville Jaguars and then-Oakland Raiders. Prior to his coaching career, Del Rio played eleven seasons in the NFL as a linebacker, most notably with the Dallas Cowboys and Minnesota Vikings after being drafted in the third round by USC in 1985.

Wisconsin is 5-4 overall and sits in fourth place in the Big Ten at 3-3. After a bye last week, the Badgers host No. 1 Oregon on Saturday in Madison.

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