FRISCO, Texas — Things got very interesting for Brandon Aubrey on the back end of the bye week. That's because as the Dallas Cowboys got prepared to visit the San Francisco 49ers in traditional fashion, Aubrey's preparation was anything but normal and involved a balancing act between helping to decide the verdict of an alleged felon and then practicing … in the dark.
Yes, in the dark.
He was still able to make the trip to California, despite the challenges, successful in both of his point after attempts as well as a 29-yard field goal.
It all began when the All-Pro kicker was selected to jury duty in Tarrant County (Fort Worth) in a felony trial that stretched several days and, ultimately, into this week's preparation for the matchup against the Atlanta Falcons. With the case now concluded and a guilty verdict issued, along with a sentence for the offender of 65 years in prison, Aubrey is free to resume his usual regimen.
He opened up about the experience on Thursday, giving tremendous insight into the inner workings of his past several days.
Why did you want to go through with jury duty when you could have easily gotten out of it?
"I pushed it back, and when I called to push it back a second time, they didn't allow it, and it slipped through the cracks until it was too late."
*If you would have gotten out of it this time, and let's say you got another summons in the offseason, would you have tried to push that back, too? *
"No, I would go, if it was the offseason."
When you found out you were selected, was it an "oh sh-t" moment, or did you already have a plan in mind if things got to that point?
"It was definitely an 'oh sh-t' moment. I have a D.A. [as a] sister-in-law, and she said, 'They will never pick you with your public figure status.' I disclosed that I had a sister-in-law who was in the D.A.'s office in Dallas, and my brother's a lawyer. So, I was just kind of told I wouldn't be picked, so I just sat there, and I didn't really say much. I was definitely surprised when he picked me."
What was the experience like?
"Eye-opening, long, frustrating, depressing — hearing the story. The story was a sad one. I don't really want to get into all the details of the story, but it was very depressing and dragged on longer than anybody expected it to. So glad it's over."
Did you feel like your presence distracted anybody?
"At first, but there was so much downtime that you weren't able to be distracted in the jury room, and then go out into the courtroom when we had to lock in and lock in."
*Do they know who you are? *
"Yeah, the judge announced who I was during the selection process. They were calling people by name, but asking for any sort of conflicts, and I put my hand up, saying, I have conflicts, but he told me he'd come back to me. He called me by name and said, 'Brandon, we'll come back to you.'
"He went through the room, the rest of the section, and then came back to me, and before I could really say anything with my hand up, he just said, 'Oh, you won't have any conflicts. We don't meet over the weekend.' And he walked away. I could have been more assertive at that point. Everyone knows who I am there, and I don't want to sound like I think I'm better than anyone else or that I'm above the job, so I kind of sat there quietly and didn't say anything, which was probably a mistake.
"I figured at that point still, he's not going to pick me."
What did your practice schedule look like last week?
"It was 9-to-5 in downtown Fort Worth in the court, hop on the highway after and race down here [to The Star in Frisco]. It's about an hour and a half to get here. So, it puts me here around 6:45, 7:00, and hustle to get ready. I wanted to go to the indoor, but we have a high school game, so on the field fighting the sunset It reminded me a lot of my schedule as a software engineer when I'd work from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m.; and then go race down to this area, a local field not too far away, and try to fight the sunset as well. It's something I've done before."
How different was it kicking in the dark?
"It's tough to see when you're kicking in the dark. You can't really see where you're kicking, and for Brian [Anger] in particular, trying to catch the snaps, he had a hard time at first tracking the ball and hitting the spot. It makes my job harder, especially when I can't see what spot he's put the ball down on very well. So, it was a lot harder, but I really just wanted to get the leg moving and keep the body fresh for game day."
