NFL.com: Cowboys didn't know Josh Brent would be on sidelines

[SWFLSkins]

OMG Jerry didn't know he was going to be there, nor Garrett, then says it was okay, sure Jerry, sure. How disgraceful and not just a Skins fan talking here. I appreciate the team supporting the guy, but having him on TV it is the wrong message.

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap1000000113083/article/cowboys-didnt-know-josh-brent-would-be-on-sidelines

The appearance of Dallas Cowboys defensive tackle Josh Brent on the sidelines Sunday raised a lot of eyebrows.

Cowboys 27, Steelers 24

Check out the best photos from the Week 15 matchup between the Steelers and Cowboys.

We have a hard time mustering faux outrage at such an inconsequential gesture, but apparently the appearance caught most Cowboys officials by surprise too.

David Moore of the Dallas Morning News reports that the team didn't know Brent was going to be there. His presence was a surprise to owner Jerry Jones and coach Jason Garrett. Brent, who is charged with vehicular manslaughter related to teammate Jerry Brown Jr.'s death, was implored by teammates to come to the game. Like any other player on the non-football injury list or injury reserve, Brent can show up any time before a game and gain access.

Jones defended Brent's place on the sidelines Sunday, noting that the team was following the lead of Brown's mother Stacey Jackson. She has forgiven Brent and implored the team to support him.

[Roger.Staubach]

Yeah. Forgiveness is always the wrong message.

[MadMonkey]

Yeah. Forgiveness is always the wrong message.

This is definitely a hot button topic.

[zoony]

Yeah. Forgiveness is always the wrong message.

Not sure you have a clue what that word means. Hoping you're just trolling or being a homer. Really

[CrypticVillain]

Yeah. Forgiveness is always the wrong message.

I understand that people have forgiven him and whatnot, but he shouldn't been on the sideline. Too many people, non-football players have died from drunk driving. Having him on the sideline is a slap to the face to anybody negatively affected by drunk driving...

With that being said, he was on the sideline, so it is what it is. Yes Brent made a horrible mistake, but dude is going to need all the help he can get. Kudos to his teammates for trying to help him.

[SWFLSkins]

Yeah. Forgiveness is always the wrong message.

Forgiving him is a great message, letting him on the sideline shows tolerance for his actions and that is totally different. Most the sportcasters commented as such. There is no positive gain here by having him there for anyone, including him.

[AsiaticSkinsFan]

Forgiving him is a great message, letting him on the sideline shows tolerance for his actions and that is totally different. Most the sportcasters commented as such. There is no positive gain here by having him there for anyone, including him.

it absolutely does not. YOU believe it does.

I wouldnt of had him on the sidelines yesterday, but the Jerry Brown's mom was fine with it. Her feelings>>>>>how sportscasters/talk radio/and us on a message board feel.

[SWFLSkins]

it absolutely does not. YOU believe it does.

I wouldnt of had him on the sidelines yesterday, but the Jerry Brown's mom was fine with it. Her feelings>>>>>how sportscasters/talk radio/and us on a message board feel.

How about Jerry Browns feelings? OH yeah he's gone.

It absolutely does, you believe it does not. So we disagree, and the rarity is the talkingheads feel the same way, in fact there is consensus that the team will not have him there again.

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap1000000113083/article/dallas-cowboys-unaware-josh-brent-would-be-at-game

The Cowboys have supported Brent in every way, although they might try to keep him out of the public eye in the future. Moore indicates Brent likely will not be on the sideline at future games.

UPDATE: Garrett confirmed later Monday that Brent's appearance was a surprise, and he didn't even know about it until pregame warmups.

The intense race for the playoffs is in full gear. Check out the latest situation in the postseason chase. More ...

"Our players have been over to his house, and they've been in contact with him and very close to him," Garrett said, via ESPNDallas.com. "So, you know, I didn't actually know he was going to be at the game. But again, we're trying to handle it day by day and work our way through it. We'll have some more discussions about that going forward."

According to Garrett, Brent left in the third quarter when he believed he was becoming a distraction and that "there were no bad intentions other than to support Josh as part of our football team."

Follow Gregg Rosenthal on Twitter @greggrosenthal.

[AsiaticSkinsFan]

How about Jerry Browns feelings? OH yeah he's gone.

I wont blame him for his death, but Jerry Brown isnt innocent in this either. He showed a poor lapse of judgement by getting in a car with someone who is intoxicated.

IN saying that, he didnt deserve to die.

The only person, that is alive, who's feelings matters is the mom. She forgave him. That is all who matters when it comes to public treatment of Josh Brent.

I just dont like how people are dismissing her feelings on this matter.

[G.A.C.O.L.B.]

I swear some people argue just for the sake of arguing on here

[Duckus]

Insanely stupid to have him on the sidelines and on TV.

[Renegade7]

If they were going to release him for this incident they would have done it by now. He's still a football player and on their roster. I didn't take this as condoning his actions. More like not disowning the guy after he made a horrible mistake that will follow him for the rest of his life.

And the only reason he was on TV is because the cameras found him, imo. That's just the media doing their controversy thing. Ya know, ratings and all...

But that's just my opinion.

[AsiaticSkinsFan]

If they were going to release him for this incident they would have done it by now. He's still a football player and on their roster. I didn't take this as condoning his actions. More like not disowning the guy after he made a horrible mistake that will follow him for the rest of his life.

And the only reason he was on TV is because the cameras found him, imo. That's just the media doing their controversy thing. Ya know, ratings and all...

But that's just my opinion.

good point

[Roger.Staubach]

Not sure you have a clue what that word means. Hoping you're just trolling or being a homer. Really

No, bud. Not trolling. Just respecting the fact that a mother was (is?) able to forgive the best friend of a child she recently lost. In my opinion, neither I (or you) have any business judging the situation. Plus...I wonder if allowing him to participate in the environment will help him emotionally so that he doesn't do something drastic like kill himself makes me all the more thankful for such a kind heart.

And for those that have lost a loved one (or known someone that has) to a drunk driver, I realize that seeing him may be difficult. I also know that his justice will be coming soon (though whateverr penaly he gets will never bring back the lost soul).

I"m just thankful that there are people as forgiving as Mrs. Brown.

/no disrespect or trolling intended, Zoony. I think that, sometimes, I just get tired of hatred and bitterrness (and this is not a stab at you).

-RS

[Zazzaro703]

Yeah. Forgiveness is always the wrong message.

I think the problem is more if any one of us did this, our lives are over we'd be sitting in a jail cell. Which is exactly where I would expect to be if a poor decision of mine cost someone their life. Not at a football game. It's great that his mom forgave him, he still cost someone their life and being on national tv sort of undercuts the severity of the situation.

[KingGibbs]

A great point was made yesterday by talking heads. Had he killed somebody else other then a PS player such as Romo sits to pee, Witten, etc, would he have been on the sidelines? Doubt it.

[SWFLSkins]

If they were going to release him for this incident they would have done it by now. He's still a football player and on their roster. I didn't take this as condoning his actions. More like not disowning the guy after he made a horrible mistake that will follow him for the rest of his life.

And the only reason he was on TV is because the cameras found him, imo. That's just the media doing their controversy thing. Ya know, ratings and all...

But that's just my opinion.

good point

Hey I appreciate your opinion, but two thoughts here, first the Cowboys management did not know until the game started that he was going to be there and now there is back tracking on supporting that action, not on supporting the player. That shows that they know it was insensitive not to the Mom but to the situation. Second, anyone with a half a brain knows how many camera's are involved in an NFL game and that he would draw attention, attention not needed.

Again, great to show support and to show forgiveness but this is not a time nor a place to display it, it smells bad. A life was lost due to a poor decision, it is called vehicular homicide, his actions killed someone. And to blame the passenger for getting in the car is one of the dumbest things I ever heard. (to whoever said that).

---------- Post added December-18th-2012 at 08:13 AM ----------

I swear some people argue just for the sake of arguing on here

Where do you stand on this important issue, or maybe it is not that important to you personally. It is to me and worth the fight. The guy had a DUI in his history and yet still choose to do it again and it resulted in a death, I think that should not be mugged on national TV. If it were the Redskins I would feel the same way. I am surprised the MADD group is not going crazy over this, they normally over react for smaller issues.

---------- Post added December-18th-2012 at 08:14 AM ----------

A great point was made yesterday by talking heads. Had he killed somebody else other then a PS player such as Romo sits to pee, Witten, etc, would he have been on the sidelines? Doubt it.

Ouch, that hurts.

[renaissance]

I'm tired of the argument that the victim's mother has forgiven him so all is well.

The fact is the guy was irresponsible and reckless, broke the law, and caused another person's death.

If we're going to let a victim's family dictate a defendant's fate, then it has to go both ways. What if the mother wanted the guy to get jail for life for his actions? Should we just do it

I'm glad the mom has forgiven him for what happened, but that doesn't mean that his actions should be forgotten or ignored, and having him on the sidelines indicates as much. If you're not playing in the game for legal or disciplinary reasons, you should not be on the sidelines. On a personal level I think it's also a bad PR move on his part, but that's a different story.

[Baylor Alum]

OMG Jerry didn't know he was going to be there, nor Garrett, then says it was okay, sure Jerry, sure. How disgraceful and not just a Skins fan talking here. I appreciate the team supporting the guy, but having him on TV it is the wrong message.

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap1000000113083/article/cowboys-didnt-know-josh-brent-would-be-on-sidelines

The appearance of Dallas Cowboys defensive tackle Josh Brent on the sidelines Sunday raised a lot of eyebrows.

Cowboys 27, Steelers 24

Check out the best photos from the Week 15 matchup between the Steelers and Cowboys.

We have a hard time mustering faux outrage at such an inconsequential gesture, but apparently the appearance caught most Cowboys officials by surprise too.

David Moore of the Dallas Morning News reports that the team didn't know Brent was going to be there. His presence was a surprise to owner Jerry Jones and coach Jason Garrett. Brent, who is charged with vehicular manslaughter related to teammate Jerry Brown Jr.'s death, was implored by teammates to come to the game. Like any other player on the non-football injury list or injury reserve, Brent can show up any time before a game and gain access.

Jones defended Brent's place on the sidelines Sunday, noting that the team was following the lead of Brown's mother Stacey Jackson. She has forgiven Brent and implored the team to support him.

Disclaimer: I am a Cowboy fan who came here solely to follow the accomplishments of Robert Griffin III. I made a rule for myself that I would not post about the Cowboys or the Redskins as a team, because I am not a troll or a sh*t disturber. This post is close to the line of violating my rule, but here it goes:

I guess I am missing something here. What happened was other players on the IR decided on their own to invite Brent to the game. One of them went and picked him up to bring him to the game. Neither the coaching staff nor the front office knew about this. The team did not put him on TV, the TV network did. The team is not to blame here. I get it: you all hate the Cowboys and seize on anything to trash the organization. But in this circumstance, I think the faux outrage is disingenuous. And the suggestion that the Cowboys as an organization somehow condone what Josh Brent did because the are supporting the man as a human being is absurd IMO.

[AsiaticSkinsFan]

If we're going to let a victim's family dictate a defendant's fate, then it has to go both ways. What if the mother wanted the guy to get jail for life for his actions? Should we just do it.

the thing is if she said this, a lot of people would agree with her and you wouldnt hear Boomer Esiaon and Bill Cowher, and every other tom, dick, and harry in the media say a word to override her feelings.

That's the hypocrisy, imo.

---------- Post added December-18th-2012 at 09:49 AM ----------

Disclaimer: I am a Cowboy fan who came here solely to follow the accomplishments of Robert Griffin III. I made a rule for myself that I would not post about the Cowboys or the Redskins as a team, because I am not a troll or a sh*t disturber. This post is close to the line of violating my rule, but here it goes:

I guess I am missing something here. What happened was other players on the IR decided on their own to invite Brent to the game. One of them went and picked him up to bring him to the game. Neither the coaching staff nor the front office knew about this. The team did not put him on TV, the TV network did. The team is not to blame here. I get it: you all hate the Cowboys and seize on anything to trash the organization. But in this circumstance, I think the faux outrage is disingenuous. And the suggestion that the Cowboys as an organization somehow condone what Josh Brent did because the are supporting the man as a human being is absurd IMO.

i have to agree, a lot of people carry their hatred of the other team to everything on here. Its strange to me.

[Mr. Sinister]

i have to agree, a lot of people carry their hatred of the other team to everything on here. Its strange to me.

You are as predictable with your responses on any issue such as this, than anyone I've ever encountered on this board. No one is heaping on criticism just because they hate the Cowboys. On it's face, this was pretty ridiculous, again, whether or not Jerry Brown's mother thought it was right. If Cowboys PR didn't know about it, then fine. When they found out about it, they should have removed him.

And saying Jerry Brown isn't innocent in all of this, and should have known better than to ride with someone who was intoxicated, i spretty low, but again, predictable, especially when you follow that right up with "But he didn't deserve to die."

The media is going to find what they want to find, to stir controversy. We all know that. What's the easiest way to avoid that kind of controversy? Don't have the idiot on the sidelines.

[airborneskins]

Was he suspended by the team? or the NFL? or even at all?

The only problem that I see with him being on the sideline was that if he was in fact suspended, he should be nowhere near the stadium on gameday. I think that his decision to leave when he thought that it was a distraction ,was also good.

[AsiaticSkinsFan]

You are as predictable with your responses on any issue such as this, than anyone I've ever encountered on this board. No one is heaping on criticism just because they hate the Cowboys. On it's face, this was pretty ridiculous, again, whether or not Jerry Brown's mother thought it was right. If Cowboys PR didn't know about it, then fine. When they found out about it, they should have removed him.

the first post on Josh Brent Sunday was calling the Cowboys a classless organization and this is the type of stuff you expect, so miss me with that.

And saying Jerry Brown isn't innocent in all of this, and should have known better than to ride with someone who was intoxicated, i spretty low, but again, predictable, especially when you follow that right up with "But he didn't deserve to die."

well he didnt deserve to die, but he is not innocent in this. If you get in the car with someone who is drunk then you have also made a bad mistake. Nowhere near bad enough to die or get seriously injured, but he made a terrible mistake. Its completely different from someone who decided to goto Wawa to buy a sandiwch for his pregnant wife and was unfortunately killed by a drunk driver. Thats not to say that I have no sympathy for him and his family, I have a lot of sympathy for Brown and his family, but that cant be ignored. Not everything is black and white in these situations as a bunch of unfortunate mistakes and errors in judgement lead to Jerry Brown dying, and Brown also made a mistake. There is noting low about it, its just just reality.

The media is going to find what they want to find, to stir controversy. We all know that. What's the easiest way to avoid that kind of controversy? Don't have the idiot on the sidelines.

and here is the last point, I agree. Ive said this throughout, I would not have liked to see dude on the sideline. I think it was a terrible look, and the cameras are quick to jump on him to bring attention the situation.

I just dont like the media dismissing the Brown family's feelings on this.

---------- Post added December-18th-2012 at 10:13 AM ----------

Was he suspended by the team? or the NFL? or even at all?

The only problem that I see with him being on the sideline was that if he was in fact suspended, he should be nowhere near the stadium on gameday. I think that his decision to leave when he thought that it was a distraction ,was also good.

not suspended, he was on IR.

[skinsmarydu]

I think the problem is more if any one of us did this, our lives are over we'd be sitting in a jail cell. Which is exactly where I would expect to be if a poor decision of mine cost someone their life. Not at a football game. It's great that his mom forgave him, he still cost someone their life and being on national tv sort of undercuts the severity of the situation.

I agree wholeheartedly. A person who is not famous wouldn't see the light of day again. It sends the wrong message, period. (However, this is just our opinion, and who cares about that?) double standards suck.

[Baylor Alum]

Just to clarify my earlier post, I do not think he should have been on the sideline. Technically, he is still on the team on IR for a non-football related injury. So he is entitled to be there, but I agree that the optics of having him on the sideline are terrible. And he left the sideline at some point. I don't know whether the team made him leave or if he left on his own. I suspect that after he was shown on TV, the PR department went into action.