Texas Officials Investigating Nightclub Linked to Cowboys Crash

On Monday, Carolyn Beck, a spokeswoman for the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission (TABC), confirmed that the TABC is investigating a nightclub where Dallas Cowboys football players may have been drinking before the one-vehicle car accident in which Cowboys player Jerry Brown Jr. died. The accident occurred early Saturday morning when a vehicle in which Brown was a passenger rolled over and caught fire near State Highway 114 and Loop 12. Brown was transported to a Dallas hospital where he was pronounced dead a short while later. According to police reports, Dallas Cowboys nose tackle, Josh Brent, was the driver of the vehicle in question. Brent has been charged with intoxication manslaughter, a second-degree felony punishable by two to 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $10,000.

According to Beck, the agency routinely investigates whenever a death occurs and alcohol may be a contributing factor. Officials began their investigation early Saturday hours after the crash. Beck said that the TABC is trying to establish where they had been and if they were sold alcohol while they were intoxicated. Beck said that agents will interview patrons, servers, bartenders, and any other witnesses who were in the nightclub. In addition, TABC agents will also gather receipts and obtain any video from surveillance cameras in the club. Beck said that the agency’s investigation could take days or it could take months. The penalty for violation of an alcohol permit license could be loss of the license.

While Beck declined to name the specific business that the TABC was investigating, she confirmed that TABC officials have received information that the players had been drinking at more than one location on Saturday evening. Police said in an affidavit that Brent “admitted to consuming alcohol at a club that he would not tell me the name of.” According to several news reports, Brent and Brown had been at Privae Dallas, a private nightclub. Officials with Privae Dallas issued a statement indicating that they are “fully cooperating with the TABC and Irving police, and respect that the event is under investigation.”

If you or someone you know has been injured in a car accident by a drunk driver, contact the attorneys at Abraham, Watkins, Nichols, Agosto, Aziz & Stogner by calling (713) 222-7211 or 713-222-7211.