Dallas DT Jay Ratliff suspected of drunken driving

GRAPEVINE, TEXAS (AP) - Dallas Cowboys defensive lineman Jay Ratliff is free on bond after his arrest Tuesday on suspicion of driving while intoxicated.

The 31-year-old nose tackle was arrested shortly after midnight after his pickup truck sideswiped a semitrailer truck on Texas 114 in eastern Grapevine, 20 miles northwest of Dallas.

No one was injured, but Ratliff failed a field sobriety test and was taken to city jail, said Grapevine police Officer Sam Shemwell. Ratliff declined a breath test, but police obtained a blood sample for testing, Shemwell said.

Cowboys spokesman Rich Dalrymple declined comment.

The case will go to the Tarrant County district attorney's office in Fort Worth, Shemwell said. If convicted, Ratliff could get up to six months in jail.

Ratliff was limited to six games this season with ankle and groin injuries.

The arrest came less than a month after fellow Cowboys nose tackle Josh Brent was indicted on an intoxicated manslaughter count in the Dec. 8 crash that killed his friend and Cowboys practice squad member Jerry Brown. He remains free on $100,000 bond.

Police in the Dallas suburb of Irving say Brent was speeding when his vehicle struck a curb and flipped. Brown was pronounced dead at an area hospital.

Intoxication manslaughter carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, but Brent could be eligible for probation if convicted.

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