Dallas Cowboys Star Charged Over Fatal Crash

An American football player with the Dallas Cowboys has been charged with intoxication manslaughter after his teammate was killed in a car accident.

Defensive linesman Josh Brent was due to appear in court on Sunday.

He was arrested in the early hours of Saturday following the death of Jerry Brown, a linebacker with the team's reserve squad.

Both players were travelling in a Mercedes on East State Highway 114 in the Dallas suburb of Irving when the accident happened.

According to police, Brent's car was travelling at high speed along the 45mph road before it hit a curb at approximately 2.10am.

The car flipped over at least once and skidded an estimated 900ft before coming to rest in the middle of the road, police said.

When officers arrived, Brent was attempting to pull Brown from the burning vehicle.

But Brown was found to be unresponsive and was taken to a nearby hospital where he was pronounced dead.

Officers conducted a breathalyser test on Brent, and subsequently arrested him.

Brent was charged at around 4.15am and he is being held at Irving city jail, police said.

Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said in a statement: "We are deeply saddened by the news of this accident and the passing of Jerry Brown.

"At this time, our hearts and prayers and deepest sympathies are with the members of Jerry's family and all of those who knew him and loved him."

Brent, 25, and Brown, 24, were football teammates at the University of Illinois and shared accommodation, according to reports.

While in Illinois, in February 2009, Brent was arrested on another drunk driving charge, according to county records.

He spent time in the county jail and was suspended from the team, local media reported. He eventually left college and was drafted by the Cowboys.

Brent, a promising nose tackle, has played in all 12 games with the Cowboys this season. He made his first career start in the season opener against the New York Giants.

Brown's death is the second tragedy to hit the National Football League in the space of a week.

Last Saturday, Kansas City Chiefs linebacker Jovan Belcher fatally shot his girlfriend Kassandra Perkins before killing himself in front of his coach and general manager.