Wisconsin staffer Jack Del Rio arrested for drunk driving, hitting street sign

Wisconsin football staff member Jack Del Rio was arrested for operating while intoxicated early Friday, according to ESPN’s Adam Rittenberg.

The news was revealed by Rittenberg Monday morning on Twitter.

“Wisconsin staff member Jack Del Rio, the former NFL coach, was arrested early Friday for operating while intoxicated after a car he was driving hit a street sign and broke a fence. He ‘showed signs of impairment,’ per Madison police. No injuries were reported,” Rittenberg posted.

Jack Del Rio was hired this offseason by Wisconsin to work with head coach Luke Fickell. His role with the Badgers is “Senior Advisor to the Head Coach.”

Wisconsin has released a statement about Jack Del Rio being arrested. It reads:

“We take matters like this very seriously and we are continuing to gather information,” it says, according to Rittenberg.

Prior to coming to Wisconsin, Del Rio was most recently the defensive coordinator for the Washington Commanders from 2020-2023. He has also worked as the head coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars and Oakland Raiders.

Back before the season, Fickell explained why he was bringing in Jack Del Rio to his staff.

“There’s a lot of different things that I was looking for and didn’t find somebody. So it wasn’t like we were just going to do it. Then in camp Jack came to visit and spent two-and-a-half days with us. And it just kind of was one of those things that was pretty unique. He was actually open to doing something and I had been kind of talking about that,” Luke Fickell said.

“So for me to have somebody in here who’s obviously got a different eye and a uniqueness to be able to communicate with me, but also to give us some other perspectives on things, I think it can be a really good thing for us.”

Fickell added that he feels like Del Rio can help the Wisconsin offense and defense and will also be an asset with roster construction.

Del Rio’s background is on the defensive side of the ball, but he also knows what it’s like putting together a roster, managing a salary cap, etc.

“It’s a football coach’s perspective. It’s a really smart guy, sharp guy, that sees things through the lens of a head coach, as well. To help me,” Fickell said. “It’s a guy that for our guys offensively is another guy to say, ‘Hey, here’s some early on scouting report things of a defensive eye truly watching this stuff and what I see.’ And then obviously defensively with coach [Mike] Tressel and them, just another perspective.

“He’s going to be another guy to really kind of evaluate the game after it’s over, give us some insights on some things that he sees from his eye. Not being in the room all day every day you get a little bit of a different perspective. And then where the program is going to continue to grow to, there’s some new things in how you’re going to structure some of that stuff based on what you believe in your system. So he gives us a different perspective on all of those things.”