Josh Brent rejoined the Dallas Cowboys in November. While he has yet to appear in a game, the defensive tackle is now on the defense in a different way.
The day before he was officially reinstated to his job that pays more than $600,000 a year, Brent was welcomed back with an official notice that read: "Greetings. You have been sued."
Brent's name was added to a lawsuit which was filed more than a year ago by the father of Jerry Brown Jr., Brent's teammate and best friend. Brown died when a drunken Brent crashed his Mercedes after a night of partying at the Privae Lounge at Beamers nightclub in Dallas.
"This is a tragic experience, but it's something I've learned from," Brent said in a locker room interview last month.
But Brown's father isn't content with the lessons Brent says he learned. In the suit, Brown said he and his son were "like twins … the best of friends." He wants Brent and the owners of Privae to pay up, saying they had essentially decided his son's life "was worth so many bottles of champagne and alcohol."
After finding that the bar overserved Brent, the state suspended Privae's license and shut down the club temporarily. The owners then voluntarily closed it for good.
But Spencer Markle, the attorney representing the establishment, doesn't believe the bar should be held liable. "If the jury decides to hold someone responsible — and I believe they will — we hope they will hold Josh Brent responsible," he said."
In an attempt to make sure of that, the very bar where Brent got drunk that fateful night also sued him last month to recover any damages that might be won by Jerry Brown's dad.
We tried to reach Brent's attorney for comment, but didn't hear back.
