NFL Player Poll on SOTL.com: 58% of Players Support the Cowboys in Allowing Josh Brent to be on the Sideline During the Game

Player poll reveals how players feel about Dallas Cowboys Josh Brent on the sideline this past Sunday.

Nashville, TN (PRWEB) December 18, 2012

The Dallas Cowboys stirred controversy this past Sunday by having Josh Brent on their sideline to support his teammates during the game. The defensive lineman is on the reserve/non-football injury list after being charged with intoxication manslaughter on Dec. 8 in the car crash that killed teammate Jerry Brown.

Cowboys' owner Jerry Jones said a key reason behind the decision was that Brown's family encouraged the show of support for Josh Brent. Still, the move was widely criticized and CBS Sports analyst Boomer Esiason called the team's decision to have him on the sideline "disgraceful."

But according to ESPN, the Cowboys and officials in the NFL's offices were unaware that Brent would be on the sideline Sunday during the game against the Pittsburgh Steelers in Dallas. Both the team and the league now agree that it was not appropriate, ESPN says, citing sources.

According to the NFL Player Poll conducted by SOTL.com, the majority of current and former NFL players supported Josh Brent being on the Cowboys sideline. Of the more than 110 current and former players who responded to the SOTL.com poll (at the time of this release), 58% said the Cowboys' decision to allow Brent on the sideline was the right one, while 42% said the team was wrong.

The players continue to weigh in with their comments on SOTL.com.

"It was a terrible thing that happened. But forgiveness is what all faiths are based upon,” said Jeremy Newberry, a two-time Pro Bowl selection and offensive lineman from 1999-2008 for San Francisco and Oakland. “I am sure he (Brent) feels worse than anybody. He lost his best friend and teammate. The Cowboys aren't saying what he did was okay. They are saying we are here for him through this tough time."

Former NFL Pro Bowler Keith Byars said, “The sideline was the last place he should have been. The young man needs help. They were not helping him by being on the sideline. He needs one-to-one counseling . . . but a group of his peers during a game is not help."

"I agree with the decision simply because the victim's mother forgave him,” added Bryan Gilmore, wide receiver for Arizona, Miami and San Francisco from 2000-07. “He will suffer for the rest of his life."

Former defensive back for Atlanta, Antoine Harris said: "He is human. He made a mistake. It will be one of the last opportunities for this man to be around the game he loves and worked so hard to be great at. Why not let him? He will spend all of his life in misery for this accident."

To read all the player comments and see the most up to date poll results, visit: http://www.sotl.com/polls/view/62

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For the original version on PRWeb visit: http://www.prweb.com/releases/prweb2012/12/prweb10253788.htm