Ex-Cowboys DT Josh Brent convicted of intoxication manslaughter

Former Dallas Cowboys defensive tackle Josh Brent faces up to 20 years in prison. (Ronald Martinez /Getty Images)

A jury convicted former Dallas Cowboys defensive tackle Josh Brent of intoxication manslaughter Wednesday for a car crash that killed his teammate and friend, Jerry Brown, reports the Associated Press.

Brent faces up to 20 years in jail for a December 2012 wreck after a night of partying with Cowboys teammates, but could also receive probation. Brent retired from the NFL in July.

Prosecutors say Brent was drunk when he crashed his Mercedes on a highway near Dallas in December 2012, killing Brown. Brown was a linebacker on the team's practice squad and was also Brent's teammate at the University of Illinois.

Police had said that Brent's blood alcohol level at the time of the crash was 0.18 percent, more than two times the legal limit for drivers in the state of Texas.

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Brent's attorneys argued the blood tests used by police were faulty and that Brent could not have drank nearly that much. Attorney George Milner said his client was "guilty of being stupid behind the wheel of a car," not drinking beforehand.

Jurors saw video of Brent appearing to hold bottles of Champagne in each hand and credit-card receipts that showed Brent had purchased three bottles. They also saw police dash cam footage of Brent losing his balance during field sobriety tests and occasionally stumbling over his words while talking to officers.

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