Dallas Cowboys practice squad member Jerry Brown Jr. was not intoxicated at the time of his death, according to an autopsy released by the Dallas County Medical Examiner’s Office on Thursday.
Brown, 25, died as a passenger in a single-car accident driven by teammate Josh Brent, who has been charged with intoxication manslaughter.
The report said Brown had a blood alcohol level of 0.056, below the legal limit of 0.08, during the night of the Dec. 8 crash. The report said he died of a dislocated neck and spinal cord bruising, the result of “blunt force injuries of the head and neck.”
However, the report raised the question of why wasn’t Brown driving. Brent’s blood-alcohol content level was more than twice the legal limit, according to Irving, Texas, police — 0.189.
Brent and Brown were teammates at the University of Illinois and roomed together in Brent’s house.
The Irving police and the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission are still investigating the incident.
Brent, who is still on the Cowboys’ roster, has been placed on the reserve/non-football illness list. He has been released on $100,000 bond with an ankle monitor. No trial date has been set.