Former NFL Coach Jack Del Rio Forced to Resign After Alleged DUI Incident

Imagine going from the apex of success in the NFL to being an assistant coach in college.

Then imagine being forced to resign from that position because of your embarrassing conduct.

That is the fate of former NFL coach Jack Del Rio, who once claimed the title of NFL Coach of the Year (2016).

Fall from Grace

Del Rio had a successful career as both a player and a coach.

His accolades as a linebacker for the Saints, Chiefs, Cowboys, and Vikings are long and distinguished.

He was also a stud in college, earning him an induction into the USC Hall of Fame.

As an NFL coach, he was named Coach of the Year in 2016 as the head coach of the Oakland Raiders, as well as having a Super Bowl ring for winning the championship as the Ravens linebacker coach in Super Bowl XXXV.

Del Rio was fired the very next year after the Raiders followed up the 2016 12-4 season with a dismal 6-10 effort in 2017.

He was hired as the defensive coordinator for the Washington Football Team in 2020.

After calling the January 6 riot a “dust up” on X, his days where numbered, and after Washington lost to the Dallas Cowboys 45-10 on Thanksgiving, Del Rio was given his walking papers.

This season, he was hired back in college football, with Wisconsin Head Coach Luke Fickell naming him Senior Adviser.

However, Del Rio has been forced to resign from that position after being arrested for an alleged DUI.

According to local reports, Del Rio crashed into a street sign, then broke through a fence, his car stopping in someone’s yard.

The incident was reported as a DUI violation, and Del Rio quickly resigned his post in disgrace.

Coach Fickell told the media, “He’s going to move forward and he’s going to resign and move on.

“But it’s a tough situation, decisions that all of us have to be able to take full responsibility for. So, that’s what Jack will do and we’ll continue to move forward.

“We’ve got a few weeks left in the season, a lot of things to continue to fight for and nobody wants to take away from that, whether it’s me or Jack or anybody within our football program. We’ll move forward from that.”

Addressing the incident and his resignation, Del Rio stated, “I’m grateful to Coach Fickell and the University of Wisconsin for the opportunity to work with such a talented coaching and support staff and some of the best young football players in the country.

“I have decided to step away from my position with the team, so they can focus all their attention on the remainder of the season.”

I will never understand why anyone in this type of role, or anyone in general, gets behind the wheel when they know they are drunk.

Open your phone, use your Uber app, and go home. It’s not brain surgery, people.