Ex-NFL player's deadly wreck case to head to jury

DALLAS - A jury will soon decide whether to convict former Dallas Cowboys player Josh Brent for a car accident that killed a teammate who was also a close friend.

Brent's trial for intoxication manslaughter in the December 2012 death of Jerry Brown wraps up Tuesday with closing arguments. The case then goes to the jury. 

If convicted, Brent faces up to 20 years in prison. He could also just get probation.

Brown was a Cowboys practice squad linebacker who was also Brent's teammate at the University of Illinois. The two men were driving home from a night out with other Cowboys players when Brent lost control and crashed his Mercedes on a suburban Dallas highway.

Authorities say Brent drove with a blood-alcohol level that was more than twice the legal limit. To get that drunk, according to one prosecution witness, toxicologist Justin Schwane, the 320-pound Brent would have had to have 17 drinks.

During the trial, the defense argued blood tests implicating him for drinking the night of the crash were wrong, and photos and video of him appearing to be drunk are misleading.

Brent’s attorney George Milner told jurors at the start of the trial that Brent was "guilty of being stupid behind the wheel of a car," but not driving drunk.

Prosecutors maintained credit-card receipts prove Brent bought drinks at dinner and three bottles of champagne at a nightclub prior to the deadly wreck. They also showed police dash-cam video in court of Brent failing a field sobriety test following the crash.