Wisconsin staff member Jack Del Rio was arrested on the morning of Nov. 8 for allegedly operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated, per Madison police. According to the report, a car that Del Rio was operating struck a street sign and broke a fence, and officers responding to the scene noted that he “showed signs of impairment.”
“We take matters like this very seriously and we are continuing to gather information,” Wisconsin said in a statement to ESPN.
Del Rio joined Wisconsin’s staff in August as a senior advisor to coach Luke Fickell. This is his first foray into the college ranks after decades of experience in the NFL. That includes a couple of different coaching stints. Del Rio led the Jacksonville Jaguars from 2003-11 and was afforded another opportunity to helm a franchise from 2015-17 with the Oakland Raiders. He posted a combined 93-94 record over those two stints with three total playoff appearances, though he never made it past the divisional round.
Del Rio, a former linebacker at USC, made his name rising up the coaching ranks on the defensive side of the ball. He earned his first big opportunity in 1998 as the linebackers coach with the New Orleans Saints and in 2002 was named defensive coordinator for the Carolina Panthers. He was also the defensive coordinator with the Denver Broncos (2012-14) and the Washington Commanders (2020-23).
