The Dallas Cowboys are prohibited from having any contact with defensive tackle Josh Brent until Week Seven--he'll be eligible to attend meetings three weeks before his ten-game suspension is up--but head coach Jason Garrett says the team has kept an eye on him since he left a rehab facility back in July.
Brent was conditionally reinstated and suspended ten games by the NFL this week for the December 2012 single-car accident that resulted in the death of his teammate and friend Jerry Brown, Jr.
“The reports that we’ve gotten regarding Josh have been that he’s working very hard and trying to get back,” Garrett said. “... When you have something--an opportunity like playing pro football--oftentimes getting a guy back in that environment is what’s best for him, whatever that field of endeavor is. If you’ve gone through some very difficult, tragic situations in your life you want to get as much normalcy back in your life as possible. I know how important it is for Josh to get back playing football and by all accounts he’s working very hard to do that.”
While Brent won’t be at Valley Ranch during his suspension, he is staying close. He’s reportedly working out at the Michael Johnson Performance Center in McKinney.
“We understand the situation,” Garrett said. “And really you just put yourself in his shoes, how difficult a situation this is. We feel like, like any member of your family, it’s important for us to support him, help him in any way we can first and foremost as a person. Any interaction we have of him individually, teammates, coaches, from where I sit, where this organization sits as a whole, it’s important that he understands that we’re there for him. He’s gone through a very difficult situation and gone through a very difficult process following that situation. It’s our job to support him and help him in any way we can.”
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