Wisconsin football adviser Jack Del Rio resigns after OWI arrest, crash

Jack Del Rio, a senior adviser to Wisconsin head coach Luke Fickell and a former NFL coach, was arrested and cited for operating a vehicle while intoxicated following a crash in Madison, Wisconsin on Friday.

On Monday, Fickell announced that the 61-year-old Del Rio would be resigning from his position with the Badgers.

“He’s going to move forward, and he’s going to resign and move on,” Fickell said. “It’s a tough situation. Decisions that all of us have to be able to take full responsibility for. So that’s what Jack will do, and we’ll continue to move forward.”

Madison police said Del Rio was arrested early Friday for a first-offense OWI after a vehicle he was driving hit a stop sign and broke a fence before resting in a yard. Police said Del Rio was walking away from the area and showed signs of impairment when they arrived at 12:35 a.m.

Del Rio came to Wisconsin in August after spending the last four years as the Commanders‘ defensive coordinator. He was fired 12 games into the 2023 season. He also held coordinator roles with the Panthers (2002) and the Broncos (2012-14).

Del Rio had a 93-94 record in a 12-year NFL head coaching career that included stints with the Jaguars (2003-11) and the Raiders(2015-17). He played linebacker in the NFL from 1985-95 after a stellar college career at USC.

Wisconsin (5-4, 3-3 Big Ten) has lost its past two games heading into Saturday’s home matchup with No. 1 Oregon (10-0, 7-0, No. 1 CFP).

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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