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According to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com, the league has reinstated the 26-year-old Illinois product, but he must sit out over half the season:
Mike Freeman of Bleacher Report added more details:
NFL.com's Michael Silver initially reported that the Cowboys were expecting a four-game ban before the league handed down its punishment.
The past couple of years have been a roller-coaster ride for Brent, but this suspension and subsequent reinstatement marks the end of a long and painful road back to the NFL.
Brent was convicted of DUI manslaughter for his role in a 2012 car crash that killed Cowboys teammate Jerry Brown. He was subsequently sentenced to 180 days in jail and 10 years of probation.
Brent retired from the NFL in July 2013 prior to being convicted and sentenced. The defensive tackle has decided to return to the league, however, and it appears as though the Cowboys are willing to give him another opportunity.
According to ESPN's Ed Werder, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones has every intention of making room for the troubled lineman on his roster:
Bringing Brent back into the fold won't be particularly complicated since he remains under control of the organization, per ESPN.com's Todd Archer:
The decision to retain Brent and give him a roster spot is somewhat controversial for several reasons. His off-field transgressions certainly top the list, but Jones is of the belief that Brent will be an asset to the Cowboys after having dealt with so much. Clarence E. Hill Jr. of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram shared some of Jones' comments:
I do know that when someone goes through life-changing experiences, that's what we like to think football does for young men, but he's had that experience. He's had that experience. He deserved that and some people think he deserved more, but the point is he has been through some eye-opening days. We could really benefit from that as a football team.
Aside from everything that has happened to Brent personally, this situation must be viewed from a football standpoint as well. The Cowboys have struggled mightily defensively in recent years, and they badly lack depth along the defensive line.
That is likely a factor in Dallas keeping Brent, but the value in doing so is questionable. Brent hasn't played in a game since 2012, and all he has to show for his NFL career thus far is 44 tackles and 1.5 sacks over three seasons.
He was also a seventh-round pick in the 2010 NFL supplemental draft, so it isn't as though Brent is a highly touted prospect with limitless potential either.
If the Cowboys don't keep Brent on their roster, no other teams may want to pick him up, for fear of the baggage he brings along with him.
Regardless, Brent is being given a new lease on life in the NFL. It's now up to him to prove that he is reformed and to show that he deserves it.
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