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Former NFL head coach and current Wisconsin Badgers senior adviser Jack Del Rio was arrested for operating a vehicle while intoxicated following a crash in Madison, Wisconsin, early Friday (November 8 morning), ESPN's Adam Rittenberg reported on Monday (November 11).
Del Rio, 61, was charged with first-time OWI and taken into custody after the vehicle he was driving hit a street sign and broke a fence before stopping in a yard, a Madison Police incident report obtained by ESPN stated. Officers responded to the scene, which was located west of the University of Wisconsin campus, at 12:35 a.m. local time.
Witnesses directed responding officers to Del Rio, who was reportedly walking away from the area of the crash, according to the incident report. The former NFL head coach reportedly "showed signs of impairment" and admitted to being the driver of the vehicle involved in the crash.
"Wisconsin Athletics is aware of the incident involving football staff member Jack Del Rio," the school said in a statement obtained by ESPN. "We take matters like this very seriously and we are continuing to gather information."
Del Rio, a former NFL linebacker, had previously worked as the head coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars (2003-2011) and then-Oakland Raiders (2015-2017), as well as a defensive coordinator for the Carolina Panthers (2002), Denver Broncos (2012-2014) and Washington Commanders (2020-2023). The veteran coach was hired as a senior advisor to Wisconsin head coach Luke Fickell in August.