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Former NFL coach Jack Del Rio resigns as Wisconsin senior adviser following arrest on OWI charge

Del Rio was working in college football for the first time on Luke Fickell's staff

ian casselberry
Contributing writer
·3-min read
CORRECTS TO DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR AND NOT HEAD COACH AS ORIGINALLY SENT - FILE - Washington Football Team defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio during an NFL football game, Nov. 5, 2023, in Foxborough, Mass. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa, File)
Jack Del Rio joined the Wisconsin football staff this year after being fired as the Washington Commanders' defensive coordinator last season. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa, File)

Jack Del Rio is resigning from his role as a senior adviser for the Wisconsin football program. The former NFL coach was arrested early Friday on charges of operating a vehicle while intoxicated after a crash in Madison, Wisconsin.

"He's going to move forward and he's going to resign and move on," Wisconsin head coach Luke Fickell told reporters at his Monday news conference. "But 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."

Prior to Fickell announcing Del Rio's resignation, school administrators released a statement saying they were aware of the incident and take such matters very seriously.

Del Rio, 61, was arrested at approximately 12:35 a.m. on Friday after driving his vehicle into a street sign, also breaking a fence and stopping in a yard, according to Madison Police. Witnesses pointed officers arriving on the scene to Del Rio, who had left the vehicle and was walking away from the crash.

Officers said Del Rio "showed signs of impairment" and admitted to driving the crashed vehicle in the incident report. No injuries were reported from the scene. He was arrested on the scene for first-time OWI and eventually released.

"We’ve got a few weeks left in the season, a lot of things to continue to fight for and nobody wants to take away from that, whether it’s me or Jack or anybody within our football program," Fickell added. "We’ll move forward from that."

Del Rio was hired by Fickell in late August to work with the Badgers' offense and defense, in addition to helping with personnel and serving as a sounding board for the head coach. It was Del Rio's first job in college football after nearly 40 years in the NFL as a player and coach.

Last season, Del Rio was fired as the Washington Commanders' defensive coordinator after Week 12. At the time he was dismissed, the Commanders' defense was ranked No. 32 in the NFL.

He coached for seven NFL teams, including stints with the Carolina Panthers, Denver Broncos and Commanders as a defensive coordinator, and as a head coach for the Jacksonville Jaguars and then-Oakland Raiders. Prior to his coaching career, Del Rio played 11 seasons in the NFL as a linebacker, notably with the Dallas Cowboys and Minnesota Vikings, after being drafted in the third round in 1985 out of USC.

Wisconsin is 5-4 overall and tied for fourth in the Big Ten at 3-3. After a bye last week, the Badgers host No. 1 Oregon in Madison on Saturday.