Jack Del Rio resigns from Wisconsin's staff after crash, OWI arrest

Del Rio was arrested shortly after midnight on Friday.

Sep 25, 2022; Landover, Maryland, USA; Washington Commanders defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio leaves the field after the commanders' game against the Philadelphia Eagles at FedExField. / Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

Former NFL coach Jack Del Rio is resigning from Wisconsin's coaching staff after being arrested this weekend for operating a vehicle while impaired. He was serving as a senior advisor to head coach Luke Fickell, who announced on Monday that Del Rio will be stepping down.

Del Rio allegedly hit a street sign and broke a fence while driving in Madison shortly after midnight last Friday. Local police dispatched to the scene said he "showed signs of impairment." He was arrested and cited for OWI, a charge used interchangeably with DUI in the state of Wisconsin. No injuries were reported and no other vehicles were involved. A first-time offender, Del Rio was released shortly thereafter.

"He's going to move forward and he's going to resign and move on," Fickell said. "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."

Del Rio, 61, was hired by the Badgers in late August. As a senior advisor, he was there to "assist both sides of the ball, personnel and be there for Luke Fickell to bounce ideas off of," The Athletic's Bruce Feldman wrote at the time of his hire.

A longtime NFL coach, Del Rio previously had stints as the head coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars and Oakland Raiders. He was also a defensive coordinator for three teams, most recently the Washington Commanders from 2020-23. Del Rio was a star linebacker at USC who spent 11 years in the NFL, making the Pro Bowl in 1994 with the Minnesota Vikings.

The 5-4 Badgers are set to host the No. 1 team in the country, the 10-0 Oregon Ducks, this Saturday at Camp Randall Stadium. It's a 6:30 p.m. CT game on NBC.