Wisconsin’s Jack Del Rio retires after DUI arrest before Oregon Ducks Game

Wisconsin Badgers’ Jack Del Rio will step down from his position as a senior adviser to Wisconsin coach Luke Fickell following a DUI arrest following a crash in Madison, Wis.

No. 1 The Oregon Ducks travel to Madison, Wis. to take on the Badgers at Camp Randall this Saturday in a Big Ten matchup.

“It’s a tough situation, decisions that we all have to be able to take full responsibility for,” Fickell said Monday. “So that’s what Jack will do and we’ll continue to move forward.”

“He’s going to move forward and he’s going to step back and move on,” Fickell continued.

According to the police report, Del Rio, 61, was arrested Friday after the vehicle he was driving hit a street sign, broke a fence and ended up in a yard.

Del Rio, a longtime NFL coach most recently with the Washington Commanders, has also spent time as an ESPN analyst. He played both baseball and football at USC. Del Rio was a four-year starter in football and a two-year starter at catcher with teammates Mark McGwire and Randy Johnson.

Del Rio was selected in the third round of the 1985 NFL Draft by the New Orleans Saints.

Fickell hired Del Rio to gain his perspective as the Badgers rebuilt their roster.

“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 football players in the country,” Del Rio said in a statement Monday. “I have decided to step away from my position with the team so they can focus all their attention on the rest of the season.”

The Del Rio news adds to a bad couple of weeks for Wisconsin.

The Badgers are coming off a bye week but have struggled in their last two games. Wisconsin has been outscored 70-23 in their games against Penn State and Iowa in what were a pair of ugly offensive performances. The Badgers gave up 42 points to Iowa alone.

On the other hand, the Ducks are building positive momentum as one of the four remaining undefeated teams in the FBS. Oregon is 10-0 to start a season for the third time in program history, joining the 2012 and 2010 teams. Oregon quarterback Dillon Gabriel leads an offense that has scored more than 30 points in nine straight games and 23 times in the past 24 contests.

Oregon vs. Wisconsin kicks off at 4:30pm PT and the game will be televised on NBC.