Jack Del Rio leaves Wisconsin staff after arrest on OWI charges

Former NFL head coach Jack Del Rio was arrested by Madison police for operating a vehicle while intoxicated and will step down from his role on Wisconsin's coaching staff , coach Luke Fickell announced Monday.

Del Rio, the former head coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars and Oakland Raiders, had joined Wisconsin's staff in August as a senior adviser to Fickell.

Madison police said Del Rio was arrested early Friday for a first-offense OWI after a vehicle 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.

"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."

The 61-year-old Del Rio came to Wisconsin after spending the last four years as the Washington Commanders' defensive coordinator. He was fired 12 games into the 2023 season.

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

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