Cowboys DT Jay Ratliff gets DWI month after teammate killed in drunken crash

Dallas Cowboys defensive tackle Jay Ratliff was arrested and charged with driving while intoxicated early Tuesday morning after his Ford truck struck an 18-wheeler in Grapevine, Texas. Police senior officer Sam Shemwell told NFL.com that Ratliff was the sole occupant of the vehicle and was not injured.

Ratliff was reportedly arrested after officers arrived at the scene and determined he was intoxicated and responsible for the crash. He was arraigned and released on bond on Tuesday morning. He reportedly refused a breathalyzer but police received a search warrant to draw blood. The results of the blood test are pending.

While it is alarming any time a professional athlete who has so much going for him gets arrested for a DWI, it is even more disturbing that Ratliff’s arrest comes just a month after one of his teammates, Jerry Brown, was killed in an alcohol-related car crash. Cowboys nose tackle Josh Brent was driving the car and faces up to 20 years in prison after being charged with intoxication manslaughter.

As Around the League pointed out, a Cowboys team consultant said that the team was looking into setting players up with a breath analyzer device for their cars following the Brown tragedy. With the amount of money NFL players make and the amount of services teams make available for them, you would think they would be aware of how much they have to lose and not get behind the wheel of a car while drunk. The fact that Ratliff may have chosen to do so just a month after his teammate was killed has to be disappointing for Jerry Jones and company.

Photo via Grapevine Police Department