IRVING, Texas – Head coach Jason Garrett followed up on his pledge after Sunday's game that nose tackle Josh Brent would be welcomed by his team and teammates following his arrest early Saturday morning for intoxicated manslaughter.
Brent returned to Valley Ranch on Monday and spoke with medical staff, teammates and coaches. Garrett said he talked to Brent, who's welcome to attend former linebacker Jerry Brown's memorial services Tuesday.
"We certainly anticipate him being there tomorrow," Garrett said. "I haven't spoken to him specifically about that, but we anticipate him and we certainly welcome him to be there. He and Jerry Brown are very close and their families are close. I don't know if you've seen the well wishes from Jerry's family in regards to Josh. I think it's a tribute to their friendship for a long, long time, the relationship they've had together."
Garrett described Brent, a former friend, teammate and roommate of Brown's, as "very distraught about the situation." Garrett said he wanted to embrace Brent and let him know Valley Ranch "is a good place for him" and being around his coaches and teammates "is a good thing for him."
Brent's NFL status is still being sorted out, but Garrett said that's not currently a priority. The head coach's focus is on letting Brent know the team is there for him, and everyone in the organization will support him "100 percent in every way."
"This thing only happened a couple of days ago, so I'm sure you guys understand the situation he's in and how he feels about the situation, and again, we're trying to help him get through today," Garrett said. "It's a very, very difficult and challenging situation for him."
The Cowboys grieved this weekend over the loss of Brown and the situation for Brent, who remains a close friend to many players on the team. Garrett said the team is filled with good people who care a great deal about each other, and the defensive line was particularly close.
"There're some young guys, there're some older guys, there's a lot of great chemistry that those guys have in that unit," Garrett said, "and they're very close to each other. When something happens to one of them, they really bond around each other. If somebody gets hurt, they're really thoughtful for what that guy is going through and they've always been there for each other. Obviously this is a really, really difficult time for everybody, certainly that defensive line group."
Garrett said the team will continue to let Brent know he's supported everywhere he turns during this tragic time.
"We talked about it yesterday, he and Jerry are best friends," Garrett said. "They've known each other since college. They were very close in college, very close since they've been here together and it's a really, really difficult situation for him. We want to make him feel that there are people around him who can help him get through this thing day by day."
