Jack Del Rio resigns as Wisconsin senior adviser after his arrest

Former NFL coach Jack Del Rio has resigned from his role as a senior adviser to the Wisconsin football program after he was arrested Friday on charges of operating a vehicle while intoxicated.

“He’s going to move on and step back and move on,” Wisconsin coach Luke Fickell said in a news conference Monday. “But it is a difficult situation, decisions for which we must all be able to take full responsibility. So that’s what Jack is going to do and we’re going to keep moving forward.”

Del Rio, 61, admitted to driving the vehicle that crashed into a street sign, broke through a fence and stopped in a yard in Madison early Friday morning around 12:30 p.m., according to a Madison police incident report ( Wis.). According to the report, witnesses directed officers to Del Rio leaving the area and showing signs of impairment.

No injuries were reported. Del Rio was “released to a responsible party,” according to the incident report.

“I am grateful to Coach Fickell and the University of Wisconsin for the opportunity to work with such a talented coaching and support staff and some of the best young soccer players in the country,” Del Rio said in a statement Monday. “I have decided to give up my position with the team so that they can concentrate fully on the rest of the season.”

Fickell, who has led Wisconsin to a 5-4 record this season, said the program doesn't want “any distraction from the task at hand.”

“We still have a few weeks left in the season, there's a lot of things we have to keep fighting for and no one wants to take that away from us, whether it's me or Jack or anyone in our football program,” Fickell said. “We’re going to move on from that.”

Del Rio joined the Badgers' staff prior to the 2024 season after being fired from his role as defensive coordinator with the Washington Commanders in November 2023. He previously spent over a decade as an NFL head coach with the Jacksonville Jaguars and Oakland Raiders. Compiling a 93-94 dataset. He also coached with the Denver Broncos, Carolina Panthers, Baltimore Ravens and New Orleans Saints.

Del Rio, a former standout linebacker at USC, played 11 seasons in the NFL and made the 1994 Pro Bowl.

(Photo: Scott Taetsch / Getty Images)