DALLAS—Former Dallas Cowboys player Josh Brent is being held on charges that include assaulting a public servant after authorities say officers found him intoxicated outside a Dallas-area fast food restaurant.
Coppell police Sgt. Sammy Lujan says officers responded Sunday after a caller expressed concern about a man talking to himself.
Lujan says the 31-year-old Brent was intoxicated and resisted as officers attempted to handcuff him. He was taken into custody after officers shot him using a stun gun.
MORE: Fmr Cowboy Josh Brent arrested and tased by CoppellPD. Video taken by someone inside Wendys shows the incident.
Witness says he was telling people to Google him. He was wearing Cowboys pants and no shirt or shoes. Police called for welfare chk, he was intoxicated @wfaa pic.twitter.com/ZUDNH1VxyW
— Bradley Blackburn (@BLBlackburn) June 30, 2019
He was also charged with public intoxication and resisting arrest and was being held Monday in the Carrollton city jail.
It’s not clear if he has an attorney to speak on his behalf. He has worked for the Cowboys since retiring as a player four years ago.
A Dallas jury in December returned a $25 million verdict against Brent and the owner of a now-defunct nightclub in the 2012 drunken-driving death of Brent’s teammate, Jerry Brown Jr.
BREAKING: Fmr Cowboy Josh Brent arrested, Tased by Coppell PD. Happened in a Wendy’s parking lot today. Video shows him shirtless, shoeless, resisting officers. @wfaa pic.twitter.com/AuUTOunfpS
— Bradley Blackburn (@BLBlackburn) June 30, 2019
Former @dallascowboys player and current team scout Josh Brent transferred to Dallas County Jail after arrest for public intoxication, resisting arrest and assault against a police officer. At 6pm how this could impact his intox manslaughter probation agreement @wfaa pic.twitter.com/wHz6ERzn9h
— Kevin Reece (@KevinReeceWFAA) July 1, 2019
Former Super Bowl MVP Mark Rypien Facing Assault Charge
In a similar story, former Super Bowl hero Mark Rypien has been arrested in Washington state on suspicion of domestic violence against his wife.
The Spokesman-Review cited Spokane police saying Rypien, 56, was facing a charge of fourth-degree assault.
Rypien was taken to the Spokane County Jail on Sunday afternoon after his arrest near a bank on the north side of the city. It was not immediately known if he has an attorney.
Breaking news out of Spokane: former #WSU QB/Super Bowl MVP Mark Rypien has been arrested on suspicion of domestic violence. “… Rypien was seen standing near the Washington Trust Bank while his wife was laying in the grass.” https://t.co/HXA6Piq7CK pic.twitter.com/juHHX7yIPv
— Theo Lawson (@TheoLawson_SR) July 1, 2019
There was no answer Monday morning at the Spokane offices of the Rypien Foundation, which battles childhood cancer.
Rypien announced last year he believes he has Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy, caused by repeated concussions while playing in the NFL. He believes this condition has caused him to have erratic and violent behavior.
“I’ve been down the darkest path,” Rypien said. “I’ve made some horrible, horrible mistakes.”
Rypien said that in the past he has attempted suicide, hired prostitutes and suffers from persistent depression and anxiety.
He was a lead plaintiff among 4,500 former players who won a settlement related to CTE in 2013.
Mark Rypien, former WSU QB and Super Bowl MVP, is appearing in court on a fourth degree domestic violence charge. He was arrested last night – his wife is the named victim in this case. @kxly4news pic.twitter.com/2Lep9bTPeO
— Taylor Graham (@TaylorKXLY) July 1, 2019
He was MVP of Super Bowl XXVI after the 1991 season for the Washington Redskins.
The newspaper reported that Spokane police responded to a call on Sunday afternoon, and found Rypien and his wife in a public location near a bank branch. She was evaluated and did not need medical treatment, the newspaper said.
Police said a third party called police.
Rypien was handcuffed and taken to the jail.
In a lengthy interview with the Spokane newspaper last year, Rypien acknowledged that he was also involved in a domestic violence incident with his wife in 2017.
Super Bowl XXVI MVP Mark Rypien is charged with fourth degree assault/domestic violence after incident with his wife https://t.co/isG43tZ92G
— ProFootballTalk (@ProFootballTalk) July 1, 2019
“I got angry and I threw her on the bed a couple of times,” Rypien said last year of the 2017 incident. Rypien and his wife blamed a medication change for his behavior.
Rypien was a high-school football quarterback in Spokane who went on to star at nearby Washington State University. He was drafted by the Redskins in 1986 and played in the NFL until 2002.
