To call Stacey Jackson magnanimous would do her a disservice. Her son, Jerry Brown Jr., was killed in a car accident when Josh Brent was driving while intoxicated in 2012, and Jackson was among the loudest cheerleaders over the news that Brent was conditionally reinstated to the Dallas Cowboys after serving six months in jail.
“Josh doesn’t have to answer to you or me,” Jackson told the Dallas Morning News. “He has to answer to God about what he has done with his second chance. Who has he helped with this opportunity that he has been given? I [would] have to answer to why I didn’t forgive him and live out my life with taking care of my family.
“I’m very happy Josh has been reinstated with the Dallas Cowboys! 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.
“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 and Brown, a linebacker, were driving home at the end of a night partying with teammates when Brent lost control of his Mercedes and crashed on a suburban Dallas highway. The first officers to arrive said Brent was trying to pull his friend’s body from the wreckage.
Prosecutors said Brent was driving as fast as 110 mph and that the 320-pounder’s blood alcohol content after the crash was 0.18 percent, more than twice the legal limit. In January, he was convicted of intoxication manslaughter and sentenced to six months in jail.
He spent the final 45 days of his sentence at an alcohol and drug treatment center. He has been working out at Michael Johnson Performance in McKinney, Texas, since his release.
The NFL on Tuesday said Brent must serve a 10-game suspension and that his return is conditional on him staying out of legal trouble, and “any prohibited alcohol-related conduct will likely result in an immediate suspension and potential banishment from the NFL.”
