A man wears a shirt with a picture of Jerry Brown, a linebacker on the Dallas Cowboys practice squad, as another person holds a program for Brown's funeral service outside Hopewell Missionary Baptist Church Saturday, Dec. 15, 2012, in St. Louis. Brown was killed in a car accident on Dec. 8, that left his teammate and friend, Cowboys defensive tackle Josh Brent, facing a manslaughter charge for allegedly driving drunk. (Jeff Roberson / AP)
IRVING — A solemn and remorseful Josh Brent stood in front of his corner locker at Valley Ranch on Wednesday and tried to summarize his two-year whirlwind journey in less than three minutes.
The Cowboys defensive tackle has been out of jail for five months and is trying to rebuild his life while also resuming his NFL career.
Brent took responsibility Wednesday for the December 2012 death of his best friend, Jerry Brown Jr., a practice squad linebacker for the Cowboys.
“Obviously going through something that I’ve gone through was a tragic experience, but something that I’ve learned from, something I will always remember every day of my life,” Brent said. “I miss Jerry. That was my best friend. To know that he’s not here because of a mistake that I made that could have been prevented, it hurts me every day.”
Almost two years ago after a night of partying, Brent was involved in a single-car crash on the State Highway 114 frontage road in Irving. The passenger in his Mercedes, which was traveling at least 110 mph, was the 25-year-old Brown.
Brown died in the accident when the car hit a curb and spun out of control, court testimony later revealed. Tests showed Brent’s blood alcohol level after the wreck was 0.18 percent, more than twice the legal limit for driving.
Brent said he’s motivated in his return to the NFL to make sure no one forgets about Brown.
“Honestly to make sure that Jerry’s name doesn’t die in vain,” Brent said. “Jerry was a great person, a great player and had a bright future, and once again, a mistake that I made took that away from him, took that away from his daughter, took that away from his mother, so that’s something I make sure I keep and feel conscious of that, that I never let his name die in vain.”
Brent was sentenced in January to 180 days in jail and 10 years’ probation after being convicted of intoxication manslaughter. He was released from jail June 15 and allowed to spend the final 45 days of his jail sentence in rehabilitation.
On July 29, Brent was discharged from EnterHealth, an alcohol and drug treatment center in Van Alstyne.
The Cowboys and Brown’s mother, Stacey Jackson, have remained supportive of Brent since the accident.
Jackson told The News in early September that she was “very happy” the NFL reinstated Brent and he was going to get a second chance.
“My beautiful son is in Heaven now, and Josh has to be given a chance to live his life and do something for someone else,” Jackson said then. “We all make mistakes, and we all have an entrance date and an exit day. Although I miss Jerry every day, I know he would be very happy that Josh has another chance to play football.”
Brent rejoined the Cowboys on Sept. 29. He’s been practicing with the team the last few weeks. Cowboys coach Jason Garrett said earlier this week that Brent still needs to lose some weight.
Brent has completed his 10-game NFL suspension. The Cowboys moved him to their active roster Tuesday. He’s set to play in his first game in almost two years Nov. 23 at the Giants.
“It feels good,” Brent said of resuming his career. “I’m a very blessed person to be able to be in this position I am now. I’m just thankful that the commissioner, the Jones family, the Cowboys organization have allowed me to come back and be part of this team.”
Earlier this month, Brent signed a one-year contract extension with the Cowboys through the 2015 season that includes a base salary of $745,000 and no guaranteed money.
Brent said “it’s been a tough” road back to the NFL.
“It’s something I take one day at a time. One step at a time,” Brent said. “I don’t get ahead of myself. I don’t look forward to the future. I just try to handle what’s on my plate at the moment.
“It’s something that there’s not an exact formula of how to be successful with this. It’s something daily I try to do the best I can.”
The Cowboys had Brent address the media during the middle of their bye week, on a day with not much media presence in the locker room. A Cowboys official only let Brent speak to the media for two minutes, 41 seconds before cutting the interview short.
Brent was asked what he’s learned about himself during the last two years. He paused briefly to reflect before answering.
“I would have to say that I’m a pretty resilient person to go through everything I’ve gone through,” Brent said. “But that’s only by the grace of God and the support of the Cowboys organization, my family, Ms. Jackson, the NFL, my teammates. Without the support of them, I wouldn’t have been able to make it. But I’m here today.”
Seven weeks after Brown died, his first child was born. Andrea Bosquez, who lives in San Antonio, gave birth to a daughter, Mya Lee Brown.
“He’s got some real goals,” Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said of Brent. “He wants to help that little girl very much.
“He’s really been impressive. He certainly wants to get on that field. We’re glad to have him on the roster. But he’s got to earn a jersey on game day.”
Brent said he isn’t sure how much he can contribute this year.
“Truthfully, I don’t know,” Brent said. “I just do what the coaches ask of me and just try to be the best teammate I can.”
Follow Brandon George on Twitter at @DMN_George.