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Adam Rittenberg, ESPN Senior Writer
Former NFL coach Jack Del Rio, the senior adviser to Wisconsin head coach Luke Fickell, was arrested early Friday for operating a vehicle while intoxicated following a crash in Madison, Wisconsin.
Del Rio, 61, was arrested shortly after midnight Friday after a vehicle he was driving hit a street sign, broke a fence and came to a rest in a yard, according to a Madison Police incident report. Officers were dispatched to the scene, located west of campus and Camp Randall Stadium, at 12:35 a.m.
Witnesses directed the officers to the driver, who was walking away from the area, according to the incident report. No injuries were reported.
Del Rio “showed signs of impairment” and admitted to driving the vehicle. He was arrested for first-time OWI and released.
“Wisconsin Athletics is aware of the incident involving football staff member Jack Del Rio,” the school said in a statement. “We take matters like this very seriously and we are continuing to gather information.”
The former Jaguars and Raiders head coach joined Fickell’s staff at Wisconsin in August. Del Rio had previously served as Commanders‘ defensive coordinator and had held coordinator roles with Carolina and Denver.
Del Rio played linebacker with four NFL teams before embarking on a coaching career entirely spent at the pro level until he came to Wisconsin.
The Badgers are coming off a bye week heading into Saturday’s showdown at home against No. 1 Oregon.